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Evidence of associations between single nutrients and head and neck cancer (HNC) is still more limited and less consistent than that for fruit and vegetables. However, clarification of the protective mechanisms of fruit and vegetables is important to our understanding of HNC etiology.
We performed a descriptive survey on the use of dietary supplements among Italian sporting club amateur athletes to obtain information on the prevalence of use and beliefs of athletes on their usefulness and danger to plan information strategies. The DOXA Institute selected and interviewed 289 amateur athletes (median age 35 years, range 18–57) in sport facilities practising various sports. Subjects were asked about their beliefs on the use of supplements for athletic performance, and the related benefits and side effects. Sixty-seven percent of athletes reported that physical performance is increased with a balanced diet, 89.6% that supplements can further increase it and 69.9% that supplements are widespread and not difficult to buy. Amateur athletes believed that about 50% of athletes of both sexes use supplements at least occasionally, that the highest prevalence of use is among those aged 30–44 years and the lowest is among teenagers. Sixty-two percent of athletes reported an increase of use over the last few years, 40.5% that supplements had no adverse effects, 55.7% that some athletes abuse supplements at least occasionally and 61.3% that medical advice is not obtained before use. Supplements containing minerals are reported as most useful followed by those with vitamins and amino acids/proteins. Probiotics/phytotherapics and meal replacements were less frequently used. Thus, in the opinion of amateur athletes attending sporting clubs, supplement use is widespread and non-professional athletes are poorly informed of the potential adverse effects of supplementation, supporting the need for correct scientific information that can balance the marketing that encourages its use.
We have analysed trends in male:female ratios among newborns between 1950 and 1990 in 29 countries from five continents. The numbers of liveborn males and females over the period 1950-1994 were derived from the World Health Organization (WHO) database. Countries for which reliable data were available included 20 major European countries (excluding the former Soviet Union, Albania and a few small countries), Canada, the USA, selected countries of Central and South America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. From the original numbers of males and females, we computed the proportion of males among liveborns for each country and for selected broader areas within Europe. In most countries the proportion of male liveborns was constant during the study period. In particular, the proportion of male newborns in the European Union was 0.515 in 1950-1954, 0.514 in 1970-1974 and 0.514 in 1990-1994. In the USA, corresponding values were 0.513, 0.513 and 0.512. In Japan the ratios were 0.513 in 1950-1954, 0.516 and 1970-1974 and 0.514 in 1990-1994. Decreasing ratios were observed in some northern and eastern European countries plus Greece and Portugal and, particularly, in Mexico. In contrast, the proportion of male liveborns tended to increase in southern Europe and Australia. Overall, among the 29 countries considered, the proportion of males declined in 16, increased in six, and remained stable in seven.
In most areas of the world, thyroid cancer incidence has been appreciably increasing over the last few decades, whereas mortality has steadily declined. We updated global trends in thyroid cancer mortality and incidence using official mortality data from the World Health Organization (1970-2012) and incidence data from the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (1960-2007). Male mortality declined in all the major countries considered, with annual percent changes around -2/-3% over the last decades. Only in the United States mortality declined up to the mid 1980s and increased thereafter. Similarly, in women mortality declined in most countries considered, with APCs around -2/-5% over the last decades, with the exception of the UK, the United States and Australia, where mortality has been declining up to the late 1980s/late 1990s to level off (or increase) thereafter. In 2008-2012, most countries had mortality rates (age-standardized, world population) between 0.20 and 0.40/100,000 men and 0.20 and 0.60/100,000 women, the highest rates being in Latvia, Hungary, the Republic of Moldova and Israel (over 0.40/100,000) for men and in Ecuador, Colombia and Israel (over 0.60/100,000) for women. In most countries, a steady increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer (mainly papillary carcinomas) was observed in both sexes. The declines in thyroid cancer mortality reflect both variations in risk factor exposure and changes in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, while the increases in the incidence are likely due to the increase in the detection of this neoplasm over the last few decades.
The relationship between liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma is recognized, but quantification of risk is still uncertain. Therefore, we analysed data from a case-control study conducted in Italy between 1984 and 1997 on 499 cases of incident, histologically confirmed hepatocellular carcinoma and 1,552 controls in hospital with acute, non-neoplastic disease. Overall, 87 (17.4%) cases vs 10 (0.6%) controls reported clinical history of liver cirrhosis. The corresponding odds ratio (OR) was 27.5 (95% confidence interval (CI), 14.3-15.2) after allowance for sociodemographic factors, and 16.2 (95% CI, 7.9-32.9) after simultaneous allowance for all identified confounding factors, including alcohol consumption and clinical history of hepatitis. The association was of similar magnitude for subjects whose cirrhosis was diagnosed < 55 years (OR = 14.8) or at age 55 or over (OR = 20.0), and the multivariate OR was 33.7 < 5 years after diagnosis of cirrhosis, 37.3 between 5 and 9 years, and 7.6 (95% to 2.7-21.3) > or = 10 years since diagnosis of cirrhosis. The association was stronger in males (OR = 23.4) than in females (OR = 5.9), similar in various age groups, and somewhat stronger in more educated subjects (OR = 53.7), with history of hepatitis (OR = 33.1), reporting heavy alcohol consumption (OR = 24.9) or high body mass index (OR = 58.1), although the interaction term was significant only for sex. In terms of population attributable risk, 17% of hepatocellular carcinomas in this population can be attributed to clinical history of liver cirrhosis.
We considered the role of monounsaturated and other types of fats on breast carcinogenesis, using data from a case-control study of 2,569 incident, histologically confirmed cases of breast cancer and 2,588 controls from six Italian areas. The multivariate odds ratios, adjusted for age, education, parity, menopausal status plus various sources of energy and types of fats, were 1.10 (95% confidence interval 0.99-1.23) for an increase of 10 g/day of saturated fat intake, 0.99 (0.94-1.04) for an increase of 10 g/day of monounsaturated fats, and 0.91 (0.87-0.96) for an increase of 5 g/day of polyunsaturated fats. The present data confirm that saturated, but not mono- or polyunsaturated fats, are directly, though moderately, related to breast cancer risk.
