The Nurses' Health Study: 20-year contribution to the understanding of health among women

From classical approaches to artificial intelligence, old and new tools for PDAC risk stratification and prediction

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is recognized as one of the most lethal malignancies, characterized by late-stage diagnosis and limited therapeutic options. Risk stratification has traditionally been performed using epidemiological studies and genetic analyses, through which key risk factors, including smoking, diabetes, chronic pancreatitis, and inherited predispositions, have been identified. However, the multifactorial nature of PDAC has often been insufficiently addressed by these methods, leading to limited precision in individualized risk assessments. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have been proposed as a transformative approach, allowing the integration of diverse datasets-spanning genetic, clinical, lifestyle, and imaging data into dynamic models capable of uncovering novel interactions and risk profiles. In this review, the evolution of PDAC risk stratification is explored, with classical epidemiological frameworks compared to AI-driven methodologies. Genetic insights, including genome-wide association studies and polygenic risk scores, are discussed, alongside AI models such as machine learning, radiomics, and deep learning. Strengths and limitations of these approaches are evaluated, with challenges in clinical translation, such as data scarcity, model interpretability, and external validation, addressed. Finally, future directions are proposed for combining classical and AI-driven methodologies to develop scalable, personalized predictive tools for PDAC, with the goal of improving early detection and patient outcomes.

Population attributable risk of a competing-risk model for breast cancer and non-breast cancer death among women ≥ 65 years

PURPOSE

To inform decision making around mammography-screening frequency and cessation, we previously used Fine-Gray competing-risk regression to develop and validate a model to estimate older women's 10-year risk of breast cancer and their competing risk of non-breast cancer (non-BC) death. Here, we aimed to understand the amount of incident breast cancer and non-BC death risk explained by our model among women ≥ 65y.

METHODS

We included women ≥ 65y who completed the 2004 Nurses' Health Study questionnaire (NHS, n = 59,662) or who participated in the Women's Health Initiative-Extension Study (WHI-ES, n = 82,528). We calculated our model's full and risk factor-specific population attributable risk (PAR%) for incident breast cancer and non-BC death.

RESULTS

Mean age of the NHS participants was 73.5y (SD 5.2); 3.1% were diagnosed with breast cancer and 26.1% experienced non-BC death within 10 years. Mean age of WHI-ES participants was 73.6y (SD 5.4); 4.2% were diagnosed with breast cancer and 17.7% experienced non-BC death within 10 years. The full-model PAR% for breast cancer was 58.8% (22.7-80.6) in NHS and 54.8% (24.8-75.2%) in WHI-ES. Modifiable risk factors explained approximately 1/3 of breast cancer risk; BMI ≥ 30 had a PAR% of 6.5% (3.1-9.9%) in NHS and 12.2% (8.5-16.0%) in WHI-ES. For non-BC death, the full-model PAR% was 94.2% (91.4-96.1%) in NHS and 86.2% (80.9-90.0%) in WHI-ES.

CONCLUSIONS

Our competing-risk model explained the majority of breast cancers and non-BC deaths in women ≥ 65y, and we identified risk factors (e.g., elevated BMI) that may be targeted to reduce the burden of breast cancer in older women.

Associations of area-level and individual-level sociodemographic factors with adolescent phenotypes linked to subsequent cancer risk

BACKGROUND

Indices of Concentration at the Extremes (ICEs) serve as joint proxies for social and environmental hazards for health disparities. We tested the hypothesis that ICEs at birth predict timing of menarche and adolescent overweight and investigated whether ICE associations are mediated by individual-level variables.

METHODS

In this prospective study, a subset of offspring from the Child Health and Development Studies, born 1959-1967 in Oakland, CA were assessed for early age at menarche (<12 vs. >=12) and overweight body mass index, (BMI, >25 kg/m2) at ages 15-17 years. ICEs characterizing neighborhood of birth were calculated using 1960 census tract data for race, income, education, and combined income/race. Associations between ICEs and maternal serum DDT levels were estimated using generalized linear models. Log-linear models estimated associations between ICEs with early menarche and adolescent overweight, adjusted for individual factors including race, socioeconomic status and perinatal serum DDTs and family clustering.

RESULTS

Address at birth was geocoded for 1749 (86.6 %); 42 % had overweight BMI; 15.6 % had early menarche. ICEs at birth predicted timing of menarche and adolescent overweight and were correlated with perinatal DDTs. Most ICE associations with adolescent outcomes were partly mediated by individual level socioeconomic variables, except for the income ICE association with early menarche [adjusted odds ratio: 1.6, 95 %CI:(1.0-2.6)].

CONCLUSIONS

ICEs are accessible metrics of area-level spatial and social segregation that were associated with adolescent overweight, early menarche and DDT exposure. ICEs are useful indicators of high-risk neighborhoods that can be targeted for individual and community-level prevention beginning at birth.

Associations between flavonoid-rich food and flavonoid intakes and incident unhealthy aging outcomes in older United States males and females

BACKGROUND

Our knowledge of the importance of flavonoid-rich foods in preventing unhealthy aging across its different domains is limited.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine prospective associations between flavonoid-rich food and flavonoid intakes and indicators of unhealthy aging, namely frailty, impaired physical function, and poor mental health.

METHODS

We followed up 62,743 females and 23,687 males, all aged ≥60 y, from the Nurses' Health Study (1990-2014) and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (2006-2018), respectively. Both time-updated and change in intakes of a flavodiet score (an aggregate of intakes of major flavonoid-rich foods and beverages) and individual flavonoid-rich foods and beverages and time-updated intakes of total flavonoids and flavonoid subclasses were calculated from food frequency questionnaires collected at baseline and every subsequent 4 y. Associations with incident frailty, impaired physical function, and poor mental health, assessed from self-reported questionnaire responses, were examined with multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models.

RESULTS

In the Nurses' Health Study, participants with the highest flavodiet scores, compared with the lowest, had a 15% lower risk of frailty (HRQ5vsQ1: 0.85; 95%CI: 0.80, 0.90), a 12% lower risk of impaired physical function (HRQ5vsQ1: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.84, 0.91), and a 12% lower risk of poor mental health (HRQ5vsQ1: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.82, 0.94). Increases in flavodiet scores and both higher intakes and increases in intakes of tea, red wine, apples, blueberries, and oranges tended to be associated with lower risks of all outcomes. Higher intakes of total flavonoids and all flavonoid subclasses tended to be associated with a lower risk of each outcome. Although fewer associations were observed among males in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, those with the highest flavodiet scores had a lower risk of poor mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

High intakes of flavonoid-rich foods may support healthy aging. Further research is needed, including examining sex-specific associations, as incorporating flavonoid-rich foods in the diet may be a simple strategy to support healthy aging.

Machine Learning on Prediagnostic Metabolite Data Identifies Etiologic Endotypes of Exfoliation Glaucoma in United States Health Professionals

Purpose

Exfoliation glaucoma (XFG) etiology is poorly understood. Metabolomics-based etiologic endotypes of XFG may provide novel etiologic insights. We aimed to use unsupervised machine learning on prediagnostic plasma metabolites to characterize etiologic XFG endotypes.

Design

Prospective case-only analysis.

Participants

Among Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study participants, 205 (174 female and 31 male) incident XFG cases diagnosed with an average of 11.8 years following blood collection (1989-1995) were included.

Methods

We identified and confirmed incident cases of XFG or XFG suspect (collectively called "XFG" henceforth) through 2016 with medical record review. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to profile 341 plasma metabolites. After preprocessing prediagnostic metabolites with adjustment for season, time of blood draw, and fasting status, we computed a distance matrix using Pearson distance and computed gap statistics to identify distinct endotypes.

Main Outcome Measures

Metabolomics-based XFG etiologic endotypes. Metabolomic profiles were compared across endotypes; false discovery rate (FDR) was used to account for multiple comparisons in Metabolite Set Enrichment Analyses. Exfoliation glaucoma environmental risk factors (e.g., lifetime ultraviolet (UV) exposure, folate consumption), a genetic risk score incorporating 8 major single nucleotide polymorphisms for exfoliation syndrome, and clinical presentations were compared across endotypes.

Results

We identified 3 distinct XFG metabolomic endotypes. Compared with the most common endotype 2 (reference group [n = 90; 43.9%]), endotype 1 (n = 56; 27.3%) tended to include more male southern US residents with greater UV exposure and were the least likely to have cardiovascular disease; among women, a higher percentage were postmenopausal. Endotype 3 (n = 59; 28.8%) was associated with being a male northern US resident; a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease and risk factors such as higher body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia; and the lowest genetic susceptibility score. There were no differences in ophthalmic characteristics (e.g., maximum intraocular pressure, bilaterality, age at diagnosis) across endotypes (P ≥ 0.6). In metabolite class analyses, compared with endotype 2, organic acids and carnitines were positively associated with endotype 1, whereas diacylglycerols and triacylglycerols were positively associated with endotype 3 (FDR <0.05).

Conclusions

Integrated metabolomic profiling can identify distinct XFG etiologic endotypes, suggesting different pathobiological mechanisms.

Financial Disclosures

Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.

Maternal macronutrient intake at pregnancy and offspring growth trajectory through childhood: a prospective analysis in the Growing Up Today Study 2 cohort

BACKGROUND

Childhood obesity has become a public health challenge globally. Existing studies have indicated a potential link between maternal dietary macronutrient compositions and subsequent weight changes in their offspring during early childhood, although few studies have been conducted through early adulthood.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to investigate the relationship between maternal macronutrient intake before or during pregnancy and offspring body weight from late childhood till early adulthood.

METHODS

We included 5715 children from the Growing Up Today Study 2 (GUTS2) (mean 11.8 y old at baseline in 2004) born to 4731 mothers who participated in the Nurses' Health Study II (NHSII) during 1989-1995. Diet during or before pregnancy was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in 1991 and 1995. Age- and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) were used to define overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence. Multivariable linear and log-binomial regression models with generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate the associations of interest.

RESULTS

The mean (SD) maternal macronutrient percent energy intake during pregnancy was 19.3% (3.1) for protein, 51.2% (6.6) for carbohydrates, and 30.8% (5.0) for total fat. For diet during pregnancy, after multivariate adjustment for maternal and offspring risk factors, compared with the lowest quartile, the highest quartile of trans fatty acid consumption was associated with a 0.20 unit (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.00, 0.40) increase in BMI z-score without a significant linear trend (P-trend = 0.06). A positive association with BMI z-score was also observed for total fat intake (β: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.36; P-trend = 0.02) when replacing total carbohydrate, and vice versa (β: -0.24; 95% CI: -0.40, -0.08; P-trend = 0.02 for total carbohydrate intake). For diet before pregnancy, none of the macronutrients were associated with offspring BMI z-score or the risk of overweight or obesity.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher fat, especially trans fat intake, during pregnancy was positively associated with higher body weight among offspring. Other macronutrients from various food sources were not associated with the offspring weight. Overall, these data suggest that, apart from trans fatty acids, other macronutrient composition of maternal diet may have minimal impact on offspring body weight in this well-nourished population.

Women's Health Study (WENDY)-a protocol of a population-based study assessing gynecological and metabolic health in women in their mid-30s

The Women's Health Study (WENDY) was conducted to improve insights into women's health and health burden. It provides a unique, comprehensive data source that can be broadly utilized to understand gynecological symptoms, diseases, and their relation to metabolic and overall health more deeply in a population-based setting. The study was conducted in Finland from May 2020 to October 2022. It included 1918 women (33-37 years old) who were born in northern Finland between July 1985 and December 1987. Data collection comprised one 3- to 4-hour study visit that included clinical measurements, biological samples, ultrasound examinations and an extensive questionnaire on gynecological and reproductive history, physical and mental health, quality of life, lifestyles, current life situations, health awareness, and opinions. The study also included a menstrual cycle follow-up and cognitive testing up to 3 months via a mobile application. Given that all participants' data can be linked to all Finnish national registers, and the Northern Finland Birth Cohort participants' data can be linked to the birth cohort data set collected from gestational week 24 onward, WENDY study forms one of the largest data sets worldwide to investigate gynecological and metabolic health burden in women.

Lignan Intake and Mortality Among Adults with Incident Type 2 Diabetes-Prospective Cohort Studies

BACKGROUND

Lignans are polyphenolic compounds abundant in plant-based foods such as seeds, whole grains, and certain fruits and vegetables and may lead to favorable metabolic health. It remains to be elucidated regarding the role of lignan consumption in the etiology of premature deaths among individuals with diabetes.

OBJECTIVES

To prospectively examine the association between postdiagnosis lignan intake and mortality among individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

METHODS

We analyzed data from 2 prospective United States cohorts, the Nurses' Health Study (1984-2020) and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2022). Mean daily consumption of total and individual lignans was calculated, and postdiagnosis lignan intakes were cumulatively averaged. Multivariable-adjusted Cox models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between lignan intake and mortality.

RESULTS

Among 8465 incident T2D cases contributing 116,026 person-years of follow-up, 4372 deaths were documented, including 1318 from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and 752 from cancer. The pooled multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) of all-cause mortality comparing the highest compared with the lowest quintiles of postdiagnosis lignan intake were 0.83 (0.74, 0.94) for total lignans, 0.89 (0.80, 0.99) for matairesinol (MAT), 0.78 (0.69, 0.87) for secoisolariciresinol (SECO), 0.91 (0.81, 1.01) for pinoresinol (PINO), and 0.92 (0.82, 1.03) for lariciresinol (LARIC). Higher postdiagnosis SECO intake was also significantly associated with lower CVD and cancer mortality. Changes in lignan intake from pre- to postdiagnosis showed similar favorable associations: 0.83 (0.75, 0.93) for total lignans, 0.86 (0.77, 0.96) for MAT, and 0.81 (0.72, 0.90) for SECO. The associations of lignan intake were significantly stronger among nonwhite individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

Among individuals with T2D, a higher intake of lignans, particularly SECO, was significantly associated with reduced overall CVD and cancer mortality. Minority groups may particularly benefit from lignan intake, although further studies are warranted to substantiate this observation.

Coffee drinking timing and mortality in US adults

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

To identify the patterns of coffee drinking timing in the US population and evaluate their associations with all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

METHODS

This study included 40 725 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2018 who had complete information on dietary data and 1463 adults from the Women's and Men's Lifestyle Validation Study who had complete data on 7-day dietary record. Clustering analysis was used to identify patterns of coffee drinking timing.

RESULTS

In this observational study, two distinct patterns of coffee drinking timing [morning type (36% of participants) and all-day-type patterns (14% of participants)] were identified in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and were validated in the Women's and Men's Lifestyle Validation Study. During a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 9.8 (9.1) years, a total of 4295 all-cause deaths, 1268 cardiovascular disease deaths, and 934 cancer deaths were recorded. After adjustment for caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee intake amounts, sleep hours, and other confounders, the morning-type pattern, rather than the all-day-type pattern, was significantly associated with lower risks of all-cause (hazard ratio: .84; 95% confidential interval: .74-.95) and cardiovascular disease-specific (hazard ratio: .69; 95% confidential interval: .55-.87) mortality as compared with non-coffee drinking. Coffee drinking timing significantly modified the association between coffee intake amounts and all-cause mortality (P-interaction = .031); higher coffee intake amounts were significantly associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in participants with morning-type pattern but not in those with all-day-type pattern.

CONCLUSIONS

Drinking coffee in the morning may be more strongly associated with a lower risk of mortality than drinking coffee later in the day.

Chocolate intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: prospective cohort studies

OBJECTIVE

To prospectively investigate the associations between dark, milk, and total chocolate consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in three US cohorts.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort studies.

SETTING

Nurses' Health Study (NHS; 1986-2018), Nurses' Health Study II (NHSII; 1991-2021), and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS; 1986-2020).

PARTICIPANTS

At study baseline for total chocolate analyses (1986 for NHS and HPFS; 1991 for NHSII), 192 208 participants without T2D, cardiovascular disease, or cancer were included. 111 654 participants were included in the analysis for risk of T2D by intake of chocolate subtypes, assessed from 2006 in NHS and HPFS and from 2007 in NHSII.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Self-reported incident T2D, with patients identified by follow-up questionnaires and confirmed through a validated supplementary questionnaire. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for T2D according to chocolate consumption.

RESULTS

In the primary analyses for total chocolate, 18 862 people with incident T2D were identified during 4 829 175 person years of follow-up. After adjusting for personal, lifestyle, and dietary risk factors, participants consuming ≥5 servings/week of any chocolate showed a significant 10% (95% CI 2% to 17%; P trend=0.07) lower rate of T2D compared with those who never or rarely consumed chocolate. In analyses by chocolate subtypes, 4771 people with incident T2D were identified. Participants who consumed ≥5 servings/week of dark chocolate showed a significant 21% (5% to 34%; P trend=0.006) lower risk of T2D. No significant associations were found for milk chocolate intake. Spline regression showed a linear dose-response association between dark chocolate intake and risk of T2D (P for linearity=0.003), with a significant risk reduction of 3% (1% to 5%) observed for each serving/week of dark chocolate consumption. Intake of milk, but not dark, chocolate was positively associated with weight gain.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased consumption of dark, but not milk, chocolate was associated with lower risk of T2D. Increased consumption of milk, but not dark, chocolate was associated with long term weight gain. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to replicate these findings and further explore the mechanisms.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, apolipoproteins and the risk of coronary heart disease in US men and women

BACKGROUND

Existing evidence for associations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) with blood lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins (apo), and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk is limited and inconsistent. This study aims to explore associations between plasma PFASs, blood lipoprotein subspecies defined by apolipoproteins, and CHD risk.

METHODS

A case-control study of CHD was conducted in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) and Nurses' Health Study (NHS). Among participants initially free of cardiovascular disease at blood collection in 1994 (HPFS) or 1990 (NHS), 101 participants who developed non-fatal myocardial infarction or fatal CHD were identified and confirmed. A healthy control was matched to each case for age, smoking status, and date of blood draw. Plasma levels of perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), total perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), branched PFOS (brPFOS), linear PFOS (nPFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) were measured. Conditional logistic regression and cubic spline regression models were used to examine associations between baseline PFASs and CHD risk. Linear regression models were applied to study PFAS associations with lipids and their subfractions.

RESULTS

After multivariate adjustments, total PFOS, brPFOS and nPFOS were significantly associated with increased risk of developing CHD, and HRs (95% CIs) per log(ng/mL) increment of PFASs were 3.66 (1.36-9.89), 3.68 (1.55-8.76), and 3.01 (1.16-7.86), respectively. Significant positive dose-response relationships were identified for these PFASs (Plinearity = 0.01, 0.002, 0.02, respectively). Other PFASs were not associated with CHD risk. PFNA and PFDA were positively associated with total apoE levels among HDL particles with or without apoC-III. No associations were observed for other PFASs with blood lipid subspecies. Blood lipid subfractions did not explain the association between PFOS and CHD risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Plasma PFOS and its isomers were positively associated with CHD risk. These findings suggest that PFOS exposure causes public health risks that are greater than hitherto believed.

An Empirical Dietary Pattern Associated With the Gut Microbial Features in Relation to Colorectal Cancer Risk

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Epidemiologic evidence for dietary influence on colorectal cancer (CRC) risk through the gut microbiome remains limited.

METHODS

Leveraging 307 men and 212 women with stool metagenomes and dietary data, we characterized and validated a sex-specific dietary pattern associated with the CRC-related gut microbial signature (CRC Microbial Dietary Score [CMDS]). We evaluated the associations of CMDS with CRC risk according to Fusobacterium nucleatum, pks+Escherichia coli, and enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis status in tumor tissue using Cox proportional hazards regression in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2018), Nurses' Health Study (1984-2020), and Nurses' Health Study II (1991-2019).

RESULTS

The CMDS was characterized by high industrially processed food and low unprocessed fiber-rich food intakes. In 259,200 participants, we documented 3854 incident CRC cases over 6,467,378 person-years of follow-up. CMDS was associated with a higher risk of CRC (Ptrend < .001), with a multivariable hazard ratio (HRQ5 vs Q1) of 1.25 (95% CI, 1.13-1.39). The association remained after adjusting for previously established dietary patterns, for example, the Western and prudent diets. Notably, the association was stronger for tumoral F nucleatum-positive (HRQ5 vs Q1, 2.51; 95% CI, 1.68-3.75; Ptrend < .001; Pheterogeneity = .03, positivity vs negativity), pks+E coli-positive (HRQ5 vs Q1, 1.68; 95% CI, 0.84-3.38; Ptrend = .005; Pheterogeneity = .01, positivity vs negativity), and enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis-positive CRC (HRQ5 vs Q1, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.10-3.88; Ptrend = .016; Pheterogeneity = .06, positivity vs negativity), compared with their negative counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS

CMDS was associated with increased CRC risk, especially for tumors with detectable F nucleatum, pks+E coli, and enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis in tissue. Our findings support a potential role of the gut microbiome underlying the dietary effects on CRC.

Dietary plant-to-animal protein ratio and risk of cardiovascular disease in 3 prospective cohorts

BACKGROUND

Dietary guidelines recommend substituting animal protein with plant protein, however, the ideal ratio of plant-to-animal protein (P:A) remains unknown.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to evaluate associations between the P:A ratio and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary artery disease (CAD), and stroke in 3 cohorts.

METHODS

Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for CVD outcomes among 70,918 females in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) (1984-2016), 89,205 females in the NHSII (1991-2017) and 42,740 males from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2016). The P:A ratio was based on percent energy from plant and animal protein and assessed using food frequency questionnaires every 4 y.

RESULTS

During 30 y of follow-up, 16,118 incident CVD cases occurred. In the pooled multivariable-adjusted models, participants had a lower risk of total CVD [HR: 0.81; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.76, 0.87; P trend < 0.001], CAD (HR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.67, 0.79; P trend < 0.001), but not stroke (HR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.88, 1.09; P trend = 0.71), when comparing highest to lowest deciles of the P:A ratio (ratio: ∼0.76 compared with ∼0.24). Dose-response analyses showed evidence of linear and nonlinear relationships for CVD and CAD, with more marked risk reductions early in the dose-response curve. Lower risk of CVD (HR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.64, 0.82) and CAD (HR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.55, 0.75) were also observed with higher ratios and protein density (20.8% energy) combined. Substitution analyses indicated that replacing red and processed meat with several plant protein sources showed the greatest cardiovascular benefit.

CONCLUSIONS

In cohort studies of United States adults, a higher plant-to-animal protein ratio is associated with lower risks of CVD and CAD, but not stroke. Furthermore, a higher ratio combined with higher protein density showed the most cardiovascular benefit.

Role of macronutrients, dairy products, fruits and vegetables in occurrence and progression of endometriosis: A summary of current evidence in a systematic review

Background

Current evidence on the role of macro- and micronutrients in the aetiopathogenesis of endometriosis is controversial.

Objectives

In this systematic review, we aimed to investigate the effect of macronutrients, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables on the occurrence and progression of endometriosis.

Materials and Methods

A systematic literature review of eligible articles retrieved from medical databases, including PubMed, Cochrane, and Academic Search, was performed from inception to May 2023.

Main outcome measures

The role of nutritional diet effects in endometriosis.

Results

Our search yielded 12 studies, including five prospective cohort trials and seven case-control studies. The analysis of this literature supports the idea that processed and unprocessed red meat increases the risk of endometriosis, while no conclusive evidence exists about the effects of other protein sources on the disease. Studies on total fat consumption, including monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated, and trans-unsaturated fats, do not suggest a definitive association with endometriosis. Green leafy vegetables and fresh fruit consumption may reduce the risk of endometriosis. Furthermore, the evidence regarding fibre consumption is not conclusive. Dairy products were found to have a risk-reducing effect on the disease. However, there was no consensus about the role of vitamin D in endometriosis.

Conclusions

The certainty of the relationship between endometriosis and outcomes of nutritional factors was "very low" to "low," which limits current literature from being applied for conclusive interpretations. Further large-scale randomised trials and consequent meta-analyses are recommended for high-level evidence.

What is new?

This article presents an overview of evidence-based studies on the relationship between endometriosis and macronutrients. In addition, the possible influence of other nutritional variables on the development of endometriosis and the limitations of nutritional studies.

Sleep disturbances and progression of mobility disability: Longitudinal findings from the Nurses' Health Study

Objective

To examine longitudinal associations between self-reported sleep disturbances and mobility disability progression among women, including subgroups with multiple sclerosis (MS), diabetes, and osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods

Prospective cohort study using data from Nurses' Health Study long-form questionnaires (2008, 2012, 2014, 2016). Logistic regression was used to quantify associations between sleep-related variables at baseline and subsequent increase in mobility disability.

Results

Of 70,303 women (mean age 73), 392 had MS, 7,302 had diabetes, and 24,099 had OA. Between 2008-2016, mobility disability increased by 16.9 % overall, 27.8 % in the MS subgroup, 27.0 % in the diabetes subgroup, and 23.7 % in the OA subgroup. Known/suspected obstructive sleep apnea was significantly associated with an increase in mobility disability between 2008 and 2016, overall (OR:1.4, 95 %CI:1.2,1.5), and in the diabetes (OR:1.5, 95 %CI:1.2,1.9) and OA subgroups (OR:1.2, 95 %CI:1.0,1.4), but not in the MS subgroup (OR:2.3, 95 %CI:0.6,8.9); however, across 2012-2016, this association was significant for MS (OR:4.0, 95 % CI:1.0,16.1). Suboptimal sleep duration was significantly associated with increased odds of mobility disability progression overall, but not in disease subgroups. Perception of adequate sleep was associated with lower odds of mobility disability progression overall (OR:0.82, 95 %CI:0.78,0.87) and for the OA subgroup (OR:0.83, 95 % CI:0.76,0.91). Excessive daytime sleepiness was associated with mobility disability progression overall (OR:1.2, 95 %CI:1.1,1.4) and for the OA subgroup (OR:1.2, 95 %CI:1.0,1.4).

Conclusions

Prevalent sleep disturbances could increase disability progression among women. Chronic disease populations may be uniquely vulnerable. Informed by these data, future research could offer new insight into sleep-based strategies to ameliorate mobility decline.

Microbiome-based correction for random errors in nutrient profiles derived from self-reported dietary assessments

Since dietary intake is challenging to directly measure in large-scale cohort studies, we often rely on self-reported instruments (e.g., food frequency questionnaires, 24-hour recalls, and diet records) developed in nutritional epidemiology. Those self-reported instruments are prone to measurement errors, which can lead to inaccuracies in the calculation of nutrient profiles. Currently, few computational methods exist to address this problem. In the present study, we introduce a deep-learning approach-Microbiome-based nutrient profile corrector (METRIC), which leverages gut microbial compositions to correct random errors in self-reported dietary assessments using 24-hour recalls or diet records. We demonstrate the excellent performance of METRIC in minimizing the simulated random errors, particularly for nutrients metabolized by gut bacteria in both synthetic and three real-world datasets. Additionally, we find that METRIC can still correct the random errors well even without including gut microbial compositions. Further research is warranted to examine the utility of METRIC to correct actual measurement errors in self-reported dietary assessment instruments.

Gratitude and Mortality Among Older US Female Nurses

Importance

Supporting healthy aging is a US public health priority, and gratitude is a potentially modifiable psychological factor that may enhance health and well-being in older adults. However, the association between gratitude and mortality has not been studied.

Objective

To examine the association of gratitude with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in later life.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This population-based prospective cohort study used data from self-reported questionnaires and medical records of 49 275 US older female registered nurses who participated in the Nurses' Health Study (2016 questionnaire wave to December 2019). Cox proportional hazards regression models estimated the hazard ratio (HR) of deaths by self-reported levels of gratitude at baseline. These models adjusted for baseline sociodemographic characteristics, social participation, physical health, lifestyle factors, cognitive function, and mental health. Data analysis was conducted from December 2022 to April 2024.

Exposure

Gratitude was assessed with the 6-item Gratitude Questionnaire, a validated and widely used measure of one's tendency to experience grateful affect.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Deaths were identified from the National Death Index, state statistics records, reports by next of kin, and the postal system. Causes of death were ascertained by physicians through reviewing death certificates and medical records.

Results

Among the 49 275 participants (all female; mean [SD] age at baseline, 79 [6.16] years), 4608 incident deaths were identified over 151 496 person-years of follow-up. Greater gratitude at baseline was associated with a lower hazard of mortality in a monotonic fashion. For instance, the highest tertile of gratitude, compared with the lowest tertile, was associated with a lower hazard of all-cause deaths (HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.84-0.99) after adjusting for baseline sociodemographic characteristics, social participation, religious involvement, physical health, lifestyle factors, cognitive function, and mental health. When considering cause-specific deaths, death from cardiovascular disease was inversely associated with gratitude (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73-0.995).

Conclusions and Relevance

This study provides the first empirical evidence suggesting that experiencing grateful affect is associated with increased longevity among older adults. The findings will need to be replicated in future studies with more representative samples.

Influence of consuming coffee and other beverages in adolescence on risk of type 2 diabetes in adulthood

BACKGROUND

Dietary strategies for type 2 diabetes (T2DM) prevention have mainly focused on solid foods and nutrients. Emanating evidence suggests that beverage consumption in adulthood may also influence T2DM development, whereas the role of beverages during adolescence remains unknow.

OBJECTIVE

To examine adolescent beverages consumption, and their changes from adolescence to adulthood in relation to T2DM risk in adulthood.

METHODS

This prospective cohort study, conducted within the Nurses' Health Study II (NHS II), enrolled 41,317 women who completed a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) regarding their diet in high school and had no diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at baseline (1997). Beverage consumption including coffee, tea, regular or diet soda, fruit juice or milk, was assessed using the FFQ. Cox proportional hazards models were utilized to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for the association between beverage consumption in adolescence and risk of incident type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in adulthood, adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS

During 725,650 person-years of follow-up, 2,844 participants developed T2DM. After adjustment for demographic, lifestyle and dietary risk factors, comparing ≥ 1 serving/day with non-consumers, adolescent coffee [HR, 0.86 (95% confidence interval: 0.75 to 0.98); P-trend = 0.02)] and orange juice [HR, 0.83 (0.71 to 0.96); P-trend = 0.0008)] consumption was associated with lower T2DM risk, whereas, regular soda [HR, 1.37 (1.20 to 1.57); P-trend < 0.0001)] and iced tea [HR, 1.41 (1.21 to 1.65); P-trend < 0.0001)] intake was associated with higher T2DM risk. Increased coffee intake from adolescence to adulthood in 1991 was associated with a lower T2DM risk [HR, 0.70 (0.61 to 0.80); P-trend < 0.0001), comparing ≥ + 3 servings/day with no change], whereas the opposite was observed for increased regular soda [HR, 1.20 (1.06 to 1.35); P-trend = 0.004), comparing ≥ + 1 or more servings/week with no change)] and diet soda consumption [HR, 1.59 (1.41 to 1.80); P-trend = 0.0002), comparing ≥ + 2 servings/day with no change].

CONCLUSION

Adolescent consumption of coffee or orange juice intake was associated with a lower risk of T2DM, whereas the opposite was observed for intake of regular soda or iced tea. In addition, increased coffee intake was associated with a lower diabetes risk, whereas the opposite was observed for regular or diet soda intake. These data highlight a potentially important role of beverage intake at early life in the etiology of diabetes during adulthood.

Microbiome-based correction for random errors in nutrient profiles derived from self-reported dietary assessments

Since dietary intake is challenging to directly measure in large-scale cohort studies, we often rely on self-reported instruments (e.g., food frequency questionnaires, 24-hour recalls, and diet records) developed in nutritional epidemiology. Those self-reported instruments are prone to measurement errors, which can lead to inaccuracies in the calculation of nutrient profiles. Currently, few computational methods exist to address this problem. In the present study, we introduce a deep-learning approach --- Microbiome-based nutrient profile corrector (METRIC), which leverages gut microbial compositions to correct random errors in self-reported dietary assessments using 24-hour recalls or diet records. We demonstrate the excellent performance of METRIC in minimizing the simulated random errors, particularly for nutrients metabolized by gut bacteria in both synthetic and three real-world datasets. Further research is warranted to examine the utility of METRIC to correct actual measurement errors in self-reported dietary assessment instruments.

Calcium intake and genetic variants in the calcium sensing receptor in relation to colorectal cancer mortality: an international consortium study of 18,952 patients

Background

Research on calcium intake as well as variants in the calcium sensor receptor (CaSR) gene and their interaction in relation to CRC survival is still limited.

Methods

Data from 18,952 CRC patients, were included. Associations between primarily pre-diagnostic dietary (n = 13.085), supplemental (n = 11,837), total calcium intake (n = 5970) as well as 325 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the CaSR gene (n = 15,734) in relation to CRC-specific and all-cause mortality were assessed using Cox proportional hazard models. Also interactions between calcium intake and variants in the CaSR gene were assessed.

Results

During a median follow-up of 4.8 years (IQR 2.4-8.4), 6801 deaths occurred, of which 4194 related to CRC. For all-cause mortality, no associations were observed for the highest compared to the lowest sex- and study-specific quartile of dietary (HR 1.00, 95%CI 0.92-1.09), supplemental (HR 0.97, 95%CI 0.89-1.06) and total calcium intake (HR 0.99, 95%CI 0.88-1.11). No associations with CRC-specific mortality were observed either. Interactions were observed between supplemental calcium intake and several SNPs of the CaSR gene.

Conclusion

Calcium intake was not associated with all-cause or CRC-specific mortality in CRC patients. The association between supplemental calcium intake and all-cause and CRC-specific mortality may be modified by genetic variants in the CaSR gene.

Multigenerational association between smoking and autism spectrum disorder: findings from a nationwide prospective cohort study

Animal studies have shown that exposure to cigarette smoke during pregnancy can induce neurobehavioral anomalies in multiple subsequent generations. However, little work has examined such effects in humans. We examined the risk of grandchild autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in association with grandmother's smoking during pregnancy, using data from 53 562 mothers and grandmothers and 120 267 grandchildren in Nurses' Health Study II. In 1999, Nurses' Health Study II participants with children reported on their mothers' smoking. Grandchildren's ASD diagnoses were reported by the mothers in 2005 and 2009. Among grandmothers, 13 383 (25.0%) smoked during pregnancy, and 509 (0.4%) grandchildren were diagnosed with ASD. The adjusted odds ratio for ASD for grandmother smoking during pregnancy was 1.52 (95% CI, 1.06-2.20). Results were similar with direct grandmother reporting in 2001 of her smoking during pregnancy from the Nurses' Mothers Cohort Study subgroup (n = 22 167 grandmothers, n = 49 917 grandchildren) and were stronger among grandmothers who smoked ≥15 cigarettes per day during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio = 1.93 [95% CI, 1.10-3.40]; n = 1895 grandmothers, n = 4212 grandchildren). Results were similar when we adjusted for mother's smoking during pregnancy. There was no association with grandfather's smoking as reported by the grandmother. Our results suggest a potential persistent impact of gestational exposure to environmental insults across 3 generations.

Short-term exposures to temperature and risk of sudden cardiac death in women: A case-crossover analysis in the Nurses' Health Study

Background

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a major source of mortality and is the first manifestation of heart disease for most cases. Thus, there is a definite need to identify risk factors for SCD that can be modified on the population level. Short-term exposures to temperature have been implicated as a potential risk factor. Our objective was to determine if short-term temperature exposures were associated with increased risk of SCD in a US-based time-stratified case-crossover study.

Methods

A total of 465 cases of SCD were identified among participants of the prospective Nurses' Health Study (NHS). Control days were selected from all other matching days of the week within the same month as the case day. Average ambient temperature on the current day (Lag0) and preceding 27 days (Lags1-27) was determined at the residence level using 800-m resolution estimates. Conditional logistic distributed lag nonlinear models (DLNMs) were used to assess the relative risk (RR) of the full range of temperature exposures over the lag period.

Results

Warmer exposures in the days before event and colder temperatures 21-28 days prior were associated with increased risks of SCD. These results were driven by associations in regions other than the Northeast and among married women.

Conclusions

Both warm and cold ambient temperatures are suggestively associated with risks of SCD among middle-aged and older women living across the United States.

Being Breastfed in Infancy and Risk of Colorectal Cancer and Precursor Lesions

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Emerging evidence implicates the importance of perinatal and early-life exposures in colorectal cancer (CRC) development. However, it remains unclear whether being breastfed in infancy is associated with CRC risk in adult life, particularly early adulthood.

METHODS

We prospectively investigated the association between history of being breastfed and risk of CRC and its precursor lesions among 66,634 women 46-93 years of age from the Nurses' Health Study and 92,062 women 27-68 years of age from the Nurses' Health Study II. Cox regression and logistic regression for clustered data were used to estimate hazard ratios for CRC and odds ratios for CRC precursors, respectively.

RESULTS

During 3.5 million person-years of follow-up, we identified 1490 incident cases of CRC in 2 cohorts. Having been breastfed was associated with a 23% (95% confidence interval [CI], 10% to 38%) increased risk of CRC. The risk of CRC increased with duration of being breastfed (Ptrend < .001). These findings were validated using breastfeeding information from the mothers of a subset of participants. Among younger participants from the Nurses' Health Study II, a significant association was observed between being breastfed and increased risk of high-risk adenomas under 50 years of age (odds ratio, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.16 to 1.83). Consistently, having been breastfed was associated with increased risk of CRC among participants ≤55 years of age (hazard ratio, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.80).

CONCLUSIONS

Being breastfed in infancy was associated with increased risk of CRC in adulthood, including among younger adults. However, further research is needed to understand the underlying biological mechanisms, as this association does not establish causation.

Post-diagnostic multivitamin supplement use and colorectal cancer survival: A prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Use of multivitamin supplements has been associated with lower incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, its influence on CRC survival remains unknown.

METHODS

Among 2424 patients with stage I-III CRC who provided detailed information about multivitamin supplements in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, the authors calculated multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) of multivitamin supplements for all-cause and CRC-specific mortality according to post-diagnostic use and dose of multivitamin supplements.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 11 years, the authors documented 1512 deaths, among which 343 were of CRC. Compared to non-users, post-diagnostic users of multivitamin supplements at a dose of 3-5 tablets/week had lower CRC-specific mortality (HR, 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.36-0.83, p = .005), and post-diagnostic users at doses of 3-5 and 6-9 tablets/week had lower all-cause mortality (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.67-0.99, p = .04; HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.70-0.88), p < .001). The dose-response analysis showed a curvilinear relationship for both CRC-specific (pnonlinearity < .001) and all-cause mortality (pnonlinearity = .004), with the maximum risk reduction observed at 3-5 tablets/week and no further reduction at higher doses. Compared to non-users in both pre- and post-diagnosis periods, new post-diagnostic users at dose of <10 tablets/week had a lower all-cause mortality (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.71-0.94, p = .005), whereas new users at a dose of ≥10 tablets/week (HR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.07-2.33) and discontinued users (HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.14-1.59) had a higher risk of mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of multivitamin supplements at a moderate dose after a diagnosis of nonmetastatic CRC is associated with lower CRC-specific and overall mortality, whereas a high dose (≥10 tablets/week) use is associated with higher CRC-specific mortality.

A Delphi consensus to identify the key screening tests/questions for a digital neurological examination for epidemiological research

BACKGROUND

Most neurological diseases have no curative treatment; therefore, focusing on prevention is key. Continuous research to uncover the protective and risk factors associated with different neurological diseases is crucial to successfully inform prevention strategies. eHealth has been showing promising advantages in healthcare and public health and may therefore be relevant to facilitate epidemiological studies.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we performed a Delphi consensus exercise to identify the key screening tests to inform the development of a digital neurological examination tool for epidemiological research.

METHODS

Twelve panellists (six experts in neurological examination, five experts in data collection-two were also experts in the neurological examination, and three experts in participant experience) of different nationalities joined the Delphi exercise. Experts in the neurological examination provided a selection of items that allow ruling out neurological impairment and can be performed by trained health workers. The items were then rated by them and other experts in terms of their feasibility and acceptability.

RESULTS

Ten tests and seven anamnestic questions were included in the final set of screening items for the digital neurological examination. Three tests and five anamnestic questions were excluded from the final selection due to their low ratings on feasibility.

CONCLUSION

This work identifies the key feasible and acceptable screening tests and anamnestic questions to build an electronic tool for performing the neurological examination, in the absence of a neurologist.

Protein intake and its association with sleep quality: results from 3 prospective cohort studies

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Sleep quality is a critical factor for daytime functioning and chronic disease risk. We investigated the association between intakes of total protein and protein subtypes and sleep quality in three U.S. cohorts.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

In the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), NHS2, and Health Professionals Follow-up study (HPFS), dietary intake was assessed every 4 years using validated food frequency questionnaires. Sleep quality was measured once with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index or adapted versions. With ordinal logistic regression, odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to estimate the odds of having better sleep quality versus poorer sleep quality depending on protein intake (%Energy) based on the average of the prior two dietary questionnaires.

RESULTS

In 32,212 women from NHS, 51,126 women from NHS2, and 14,796 men from HPFS, total protein intake was not associated with sleep quality. However, the intake of protein from vegetable sources showed no association or a positive association with sleep quality (OR for quartile 4 versus quartile 1 in NHS: 1.12, 1.04-1.20, P-trend < 0.001; NHS2: 1.01, 0.95-1.07, P-trend = 0.90; HPFS: 1.11, 0.99-1.23, P-trend = 0.05), whereas divergent results were observed for animal protein sources. Overall, intakes of processed red meat and poultry were associated with worse sleep quality, whereas no or positive associations were observed for dairy and fish protein.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that plants as a source of protein may be associated with better sleep quality than animal sources of protein. Further studies are warranted to validate our findings.

Effect of Dietary Choline Consumption on the Development of Urinary Urgency Incontinence in a Longitudinal Cohort of Women

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS

The objective of this study was to determine whether differences in the cumulative dietary intake of choline, is associated with the risk of developing urge urinary incontinence (UUI).

METHODS

This was an analysis within the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) I and II. The main exposure was the cumulative daily intake for each choline-containing compound obtained from a detailed daily food frequency questionnaire. The primary outcome was UUI, defined as urine loss with a sudden feeling of bladder fullness or when a toilet is inaccessible, occurring >1/month. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate multivariate-adjusted relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between total choline and choline derivatives and risk of UUI. Fixed effects meta-analyses of results from NHSI and NHSII were performed for postmenopausal women only to obtain a pooled estimate of the impact of choline consumption on UUI.

RESULTS

There were 33,273 participants in NHSI and 38,732 in NHSII who met all the criteria for inclusion in the analysis. The incidence of UUI was 9.41% (n=3,139) in NHSI and 4.25% (n=1,646) in NHSII. After adjusting for confounders choline was not found to be associated with UUI in postmenopausal women. However, in premenopausal women, relative to the lowest quartile, the highest quartile of consumption of total choline (aRR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.64-0.99), free choline (aRR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.58-0.94), and phosphocholine (aRR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.61-0.96) were associated with a reduced risk of UUI.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased dietary choline consumption was associated with a reduced risk of UUI among premenopausal women.

Sugar-sweetened or artificially-sweetened beverage consumption, physical activity, and risk of cardiovascular disease in adults: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Whether physical activity could mitigate the adverse impacts of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) or artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) on incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains uncertain.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine the independent and joint associations between SSB or ASB consumption and physical activity and risk of CVD, defined as fatal and nonfatal coronary artery disease and stroke, in adults from 2 United States-based prospective cohort studies.

METHODS

Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs between SSB or ASB intake and physical activity with incident CVD among 65,730 females in the Nurses' Health Study (1980-2016) and 39,418 males in the Health Professional's Follow-up Study (1986-2016), who were free from chronic diseases at baseline. SSBs and ASBs were assessed every 4-y and physical activity biannually.

RESULTS

A total of 13,269 CVD events were ascertained during 3,001,213 person-years of follow-up. Compared with those who never/rarely consumed SSBs or ASBs, the HR for CVD for participants consuming ≥2 servings/d was 1.21 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.32; P-trend < 0.001) for SSBs and 1.03 (95% CI: 0.97, 1.09; P-trend = 0.06) for those consuming ≥2 servings/d of ASBs. The HR for CVD per 1 serving increment of SSB per day was 1.18 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.26) and 1.12 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.20) for participants meeting and not meeting physical activity guidelines (≥7.5 compared with <7.5 MET h/wk), respectively. Compared with participants who met physical activity guidelines and never/rarely consumed SSBs, the HR for CVD was 1.47 (95% CI: 1.37, 1.57) for participants not meeting physical activity guidelines and consuming ≥2 servings/wk of SSBs. No significant associations were observed for ASB when stratified by physical activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher SSB intake was associated with CVD risk regardless of physical activity levels. These results support current recommendations to limit the intake of SSBs even for physically active individuals.

Association between weight cycling and risk of colorectal cancer: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Weight cycling is the repeated episodes manifesting intentional weight loss and subsequent unintentional weight gain. Whether the frequency and magnitude of weight cycling is associated with colorectal cancer risk independent of body mass index (BMI) remains unknown.

METHODS

Two prospective cohort studies, Nurses' Health Study I and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, followed 85,562 participants from 1992 to 2014. Participants completed a questionnaire regarding the frequency and magnitude of intentional weight loss in the past 4 years at the baseline. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazard model.

RESULTS

We identified 1626 colorectal cancer cases during up to 22 years of follow-up. In the pooled analysis of HPFS and NHS, compared to non-weight cycling, moderate weight cycling (≥3 times of intentional weight loss of ≥2.3-4.4 kg) was associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer after adjustment for confounders, including attained BMI after weight cycling (HR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.69, 0.97). However, no significant association was observed in mild weight cyclers and in severe weight cyclers.

CONCLUSIONS

Moderate weight cycling was associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer independent of BMI. This finding needs further studies for replication and putative biological mechanisms.

Cancer Diagnoses After Recent Weight Loss

Importance

Weight loss is common in primary care. Among individuals with recent weight loss, the rates of cancer during the subsequent 12 months are unclear compared with those without recent weight loss.

Objective

To determine the rates of subsequent cancer diagnoses over 12 months among health professionals with weight loss during the prior 2 years compared with those without recent weight loss.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Prospective cohort analysis of females aged 40 years or older from the Nurses' Health Study who were followed up from June 1978 until June 30, 2016, and males aged 40 years or older from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study who were followed up from January 1988 until January 31, 2016.

Exposure

Recent weight change was calculated from the participant weights that were reported biennially. The intentionality of weight loss was categorized as high if both physical activity and diet quality increased, medium if only 1 increased, and low if neither increased.

Main Outcome and Measures

Rates of cancer diagnosis during the 12 months after weight loss.

Results

Among 157 474 participants (median age, 62 years [IQR, 54-70 years]; 111 912 were female [71.1%]; there were 2631 participants [1.7%] who self-identified as Asian, Native American, or Native Hawaiian; 2678 Black participants [1.7%]; and 149 903 White participants [95.2%]) and during 1.64 million person-years of follow-up, 15 809 incident cancer cases were identified (incident rate, 964 cases/100 000 person-years). During the 12 months after reported weight change, there were 1362 cancer cases/100 000 person-years among all participants with recent weight loss of greater than 10.0% of body weight compared with 869 cancer cases/100 000 person-years among those without recent weight loss (between-group difference, 493 cases/100 000 person-years [95% CI, 391-594 cases/100 000 person-years]; P < .001). Among participants categorized with low intentionality for weight loss, there were 2687 cancer cases/100 000 person-years for those with weight loss of greater than 10.0% of body weight compared with 1220 cancer cases/100 000 person-years for those without recent weight loss (between-group difference, 1467 cases/100 000 person-years [95% CI, 799-2135 cases/100 000 person-years]; P < .001). Cancer of the upper gastrointestinal tract (cancer of the esophagus, stomach, liver, biliary tract, or pancreas) was particularly common among participants with recent weight loss; there were 173 cancer cases/100 000 person-years for those with weight loss of greater than 10.0% of body weight compared with 36 cancer cases/100 000 person-years for those without recent weight loss (between-group difference, 137 cases/100 000 person-years [95% CI, 101-172 cases/100 000 person-years]; P < .001).

Conclusions and Relevance

Health professionals with weight loss within the prior 2 years had a significantly higher risk of cancer during the subsequent 12 months compared with those without recent weight loss. Cancer of the upper gastrointestinal tract was particularly common among participants with recent weight loss compared with those without recent weight loss.

The metabolic potential of inflammatory and insulinaemic dietary patterns and risk of type 2 diabetes

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Diets with higher inflammatory and insulinaemic potential have been associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. However, it remains unknown whether plasma metabolomic profiles related to proinflammatory/hyperinsulinaemic diets and to inflammatory/insulin biomarkers are associated with type 2 diabetes risk.

METHODS

We analysed 6840 participants from the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study to identify the plasma metabolome related to empirical dietary inflammatory pattern (EDIP), empirical dietary index for hyperinsulinemia (EDIH), four circulating inflammatory biomarkers and C-peptide. Dietary intakes were assessed using validated food frequency questionnaires. Plasma metabolomic profiling was conducted by LC-MS/MS. Metabolomic signatures were derived using elastic net regression. Multivariable Cox regression was used to examine associations of the metabolomic profiles with type 2 diabetes risk.

RESULTS

We identified 27 metabolites commonly associated with both EDIP and inflammatory biomarker z score and 21 commonly associated with both EDIH and C-peptide. Higher metabolomic dietary inflammatory potential (MDIP), reflecting higher metabolic potential of both an inflammatory dietary pattern and circulating inflammatory biomarkers, was associated with higher type 2 diabetes risk. The HR comparing highest vs lowest quartiles of MDIP was 3.26 (95% CI 2.39, 4.44). We observed a strong positive association with type 2 diabetes risk for the metabolomic signature associated with EDIP-only (HR 3.75; 95% CI 2.71, 5.17) or inflammatory biomarkers-only (HR 4.07; 95% CI 2.91, 5.69). In addition, higher metabolomic dietary index for hyperinsulinaemia (MDIH), reflecting higher metabolic potential of both an insulinaemic dietary pattern and circulating C-peptide, was associated with greater type 2 diabetes risk (HR 3.00; 95% CI 2.22, 4.06); further associations with type 2 diabetes were HR 2.79 (95% CI 2.07, 3.76) for EDIH-only signature and HR 3.89 (95% CI 2.82, 5.35) for C-peptide-only signature. The diet scores were significantly associated with risk, although adjustment for the corresponding metabolomic signature scores attenuated the associations with type 2 diabetes, these remained significant.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

The metabolomic signatures reflecting proinflammatory or hyperinsulinaemic diets and related biomarkers were positively associated with type 2 diabetes risk, supporting that these dietary patterns may influence type 2 diabetes risk via the regulation of metabolism.

Overcoming combination fatigue: Addressing high-dimensional effect measure modification and interaction in clinical, biomedical, and epidemiologic research using multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy (MAIHDA)

Growing interest in precision medicine, gene-environment interactions, health equity, expanding diversity in research, and the generalizability results, requires researchers to evaluate how the effects of treatments or exposures differ across numerous subgroups. Evaluating combination complexity, in the form of effect measure modification and interaction, is therefore a common study aim in the biomedical, clinical, and epidemiologic sciences. There is also substantial interest in expanding the combinations of factors analyzed to include complex treatment protocols (e.g., multiple study arms or factorial randomization), comorbid medical conditions or risk factors, and sociodemographic and other subgroup identifiers. However, expanding the number of subgroup category combinations creates combination fatigue problems, including concerns over small sample size, reduced power, multiple testing, spurious results, and design and analytic complexity. Creative new approaches for managing combination fatigue and evaluating high-dimensional effect measure modification and interaction are needed. Intersectional MAIHDA (multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy) has already attracted substantial interest in social epidemiology, and has been hailed as the new gold standard for investigating health inequities across complex intersections of social identity. Leveraging the inherent advantages of multilevel models, a more general multicategorical MAIHDA can be used to study statistical interactions and predict effects across high-dimensional combinations of conditions, with important advantages over alternative approaches. Though it has primarily been used thus far as an analytic approach, MAIHDA should also be used as a framework for study design. In this article, I introduce MAIHDA to the broader health sciences research community, discuss its advantages over conventional approaches, and provide an overview of potential applications in clinical, biomedical, and epidemiologic research.

Omega-3 Blood Levels and Stroke Risk: A Pooled and Harmonized Analysis of 183 291 Participants From 29 Prospective Studies

BACKGROUND

The effect of marine omega-3 PUFAs on risk of stroke remains unclear.

METHODS

We investigated the associations between circulating and tissue omega-3 PUFA levels and incident stroke (total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic) in 29 international prospective cohorts. Each site conducted a de novo individual-level analysis using a prespecified analytical protocol with defined exposures, covariates, analytical methods, and outcomes; the harmonized data from the studies were then centrally pooled. Multivariable-adjusted HRs and 95% CIs across omega-3 PUFA quintiles were computed for each stroke outcome.

RESULTS

Among 183 291 study participants, there were 10 561 total strokes, 8220 ischemic strokes, and 1142 hemorrhagic strokes recorded over a median of 14.3 years follow-up. For eicosapentaenoic acid, comparing quintile 5 (Q5, highest) with quintile 1 (Q1, lowest), total stroke incidence was 17% lower (HR, 0.83 [CI, 0.76-0.91]; P<0.0001), and ischemic stroke was 18% lower (HR, 0.82 [CI, 0.74-0.91]; P<0.0001). For docosahexaenoic acid, comparing Q5 with Q1, there was a 12% lower incidence of total stroke (HR, 0.88 [CI, 0.81-0.96]; P=0.0001) and a 14% lower incidence of ischemic stroke (HR, 0.86 [CI, 0.78-0.95]; P=0.0001). Neither eicosapentaenoic acid nor docosahexaenoic acid was associated with a risk for hemorrhagic stroke. These associations were not modified by either baseline history of AF or prevalent CVD.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher omega-3 PUFA levels are associated with lower risks of total and ischemic stroke but have no association with hemorrhagic stroke.

Bereavement, Memorial Attendance, and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Longitudinal Results from the Nurses' Health Study

BACKGROUND

Mortality increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many bereaved individuals were not able to gather to memorialize their loved ones, yet it is unknown if this contributed to worsening mental health.

OBJECTIVE

Examine the association of bereavement in the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic with subsequent psychological distress and the role of memorial attendance in reducing psychological distress among the bereaved.

DESIGN, SETTINGS, SUBJECTS

In May 2020, 39,564 older females from the Nurses' Health Study II enrolled in a longitudinal COVID-19 substudy (meanage = 65.2 years, SD = 4.5).

METHODS

Linear regression analyses estimated associations of bereavement reported between March and October, 2020 with subsequent psychological distress between January and October 2021, adjusting for sociodemographic and prepandemic depression symptoms. Secondary models examined associations between memorial attendance and psychological distress.

RESULTS

Bereavement during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with higher psychological distress (adjusted β = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.15, 0.26) assessed over the next year. Among the bereaved, memorial attendance was associated with lower psychological distress (in-person: adjusted β = -0.41, 95% CI: -0.53, -0.29; online: adjusted β = -0.24, 95% CI: -0.46, --0.02).

CONCLUSION

Attending memorials was associated with lower subsequent psychological distress among bereaved older females.

Correcting for bias due to mismeasured exposure history in longitudinal studies with continuous outcomes

Epidemiologists are often interested in estimating the effect of functions of time-varying exposure histories in relation to continuous outcomes, for example, cognitive function. However, the individual exposure measurements that constitute the history upon which an exposure history function is constructed are usually mismeasured. To obtain unbiased estimates of the effects for mismeasured functions in longitudinal studies, a method incorporating main and validation studies was developed. Simulation studies under several realistic assumptions were conducted to assess its performance compared to standard analysis, and we found that the proposed method has good performance in terms of finite sample bias reduction and nominal confidence interval coverage. We applied it to a study of long-term exposure toPM 2.5 $\text{PM}_{2.5}$ , in relation to cognitive decline in the Nurses' Health Study Previously, it was found that the 2-year decline in the standard measure of cognition was 0.018 (95% CI, -0.034 to -0.001) units worse per 10μ g/m 3 $\mu \text{g/m}^3$ increase inPM 2.5 $\text{PM}_{2.5}$ exposure. After correction, the estimated impact ofPM 2.5 $\text{PM}_{2.5}$ on cognitive decline increased to 0.027 (95% CI, -0.059 to 0.005) units lower per 10μ g/m 3 $\mu \text{g/m}^3$ increase. To put this into perspective, effects of this magnitude are about 2/3 of those found in our data associated with each additional year of aging: 0.044 (95% CI, -0.047 to -0.040) units per 1 year older after applying our correction method.

Low-Carbohydrate Diet Macronutrient Quality and Weight Change

Importance

The associations of low-carbohydrate diets (LCDs) with long-term weight management remains unclear, and the source and quality of macronutrients within LCDs are less explored.

Objectives

To prospectively examine associations between changes in LCD indices and weight change among US adults.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This prospective cohort study included initially healthy participants at baseline from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS; 1986-2010), Nurses' Health Study II (NHSII; 1991-2015), and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS; 1986-2018). Data analysis was performed between November 2022 and April 2023.

Exposures

Five LCD indices were examined: (1) a total LCD (TLCD) emphasizing overall lower carbohydrate intake; (2) an animal-based LCD (ALCD) that emphasized animal-sourced protein and fat; (3) a vegetable-based LCD (VLCD) that emphasized plant-sourced protein and fat; (4) a healthy LCD (HLCD) emphasizing less refined carbohydrates, more plant protein, and healthy fat; and (5) an unhealthy LCD (ULCD) emphasizing less healthful carbohydrates, more animal protein, and unhealthy fat.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The outcome of interest was 4-year changes in self-reported body weight.

Results

A total of 123 332 participants (mean [SD] age, 45.0 [9.7] years; 103 320 [83.8%] female) were included in this study. The median carbohydrate intake (as a percentage of energy) of the highest quintiles of TLCD score at baseline ranged from 38.3% in HPFS to 40.9% in NHSII. Mean weight gain over 4-year intervals among participants varied from 0.8 kg in the HPFS to 1.8 kg in the NHSII. After adjusting for demographics and baseline and concomitant changes of selected lifestyle factors, each 1-SD increase in TLCD score was associated with 0.06 (95% CI, 0.04-0.08) kg more weight gain over the 4-year periods. Similarly, participants gained 0.13 (95% CI, 0.11 to 0.14) kg per each 1-SD increase in ALCD score and 0.39 (95% CI, 0.37 to 0.40) kg per each 1-SD change in ULCD score. In contrast, each 1-SD increase in VLCD score was associated with 0.03 (95% CI, 0.01 to 0.04) kg less weight gain, and each 1-SD increase in HLCD score was associated with 0.36 (95% CI, 0.35 to 0.38) kg less weight gain. The associations were more pronounced among obese individuals (per 1-SD increase in HLCD score: BMI ≥30, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.80, 0.97] kg less weight gain; BMI <25, 0.23 [95% CI, 0.20, 0.26] kg less weight gain; P for interaction < .001).

Conclusions and Relevance

These findings suggest that the quality of LCDs may play a critical role in modulating long-term weight change. Only LCDs that emphasized high-quality protein, fat, and carbohydrates from whole grains and other plant-based foods were associated with less weight gain.

Portfolio Diet Score and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: Findings From 3 Prospective Cohort Studies

BACKGROUND

The plant-based Portfolio dietary pattern includes recognized cholesterol-lowering foods (ie, plant protein, nuts, viscous fiber, phytosterols, and plant monounsaturated fats) shown to improve several cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in randomized controlled trials. However, there is limited evidence on the role of long-term adherence to the diet and CVD risk. The primary objective was to examine the relationship between the Portfolio Diet Score (PDS) and the risk of total CVD, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke.

METHODS

We prospectively followed 73 924 women in the Nurses' Health Study (1984-2016), 92 346 women in the Nurses' Health Study II (1991-2017), and 43 970 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2016) without CVD or cancer at baseline. Diet was assessed using validated food frequency questionnaires at baseline and every 4 years using a PDS that positively ranks plant protein (legumes), nuts and seeds, viscous fiber sources, phytosterols (mg/day), and plant monounsaturated fat sources, and negatively ranks foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol.

RESULTS

During up to 30 years of follow-up, 16 917 incident CVD cases, including 10 666 CHD cases and 6473 strokes, were documented. After multivariable adjustment for lifestyle factors and a modified Alternate Healthy Eating Index (excluding overlapping components), comparing the highest with the lowest quintile, participants with a higher PDS had a lower risk of total CVD (pooled hazard ratio [HR], 0.86 [95% CI, 0.81-0.92]; Ptrend<0.001), CHD (pooled HR, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.80-0.93]; Ptrend=0.0001), and stroke (pooled HR, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.78-0.95]; Ptrend=0.0003). In addition, a 25-percentile higher PDS was associated with a lower risk of total CVD (pooled HR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.89-0.95]), CHD (pooled HR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.88-0.95]), and stroke (pooled HR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.87-0.96]). Results remained consistent across sensitivity and most subgroup analyses, and there was no evidence of departure from linearity for CVD, CHD, or stroke. In a subset of participants, a higher PDS was associated with a more favorable blood lipid and inflammatory profile.

CONCLUSIONS

The PDS was associated with a lower risk of CVD, including CHD and stroke, and a more favorable blood lipid and inflammatory profile, in 3 large prospective cohorts.

Vitamin C intake and colorectal cancer survival according to KRAS and BRAF mutation: a prospective study in two US cohorts

BACKGROUND

The associations of vitamin C intake with colorectal cancer (CRC) survival according to tumour KRAS or BRAF mutation status remain unclear.

METHODS

We used the inverse probability weighted multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) of mortality, and spline analysis to evaluate the dose-response relationship in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study. We also assessed SLC2A1 mRNA expression according to KRAS or BRAF mutation in the TCGA database.

RESULTS

During an average of 12.0 years of follow-up, we documented 2,096 CRC cases, of which 703 cases had KRAS and BRAF mutation data. The association between total vitamin C intake and CRC-specific mortality suggestively differed according to KRAS or BRAF mutation status (Pinteraction = 0.04), with the multivariable HR (95% CI) per 400 mg/day increase in vitamin C intake for CRC-specific mortality of 1.07 (0.87-1.32, Ptrend = 0.52) in cases with both wild type and 0.74 (0.55-1.00, Ptrend < 0.05) in cases with either KRAS or BRAF mutant type. TCGA analysis showed a higher mRNA SLC2A1 expression in KRAS or BRAF-mutated tumours than in wild-type tumours (P = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

Our findings support the laboratory evidence for a potential benefit of vitamin C for CRC patients with KRAS or BRAF mutated tumours.

Dietary Glutamine and Glutamate in Relation to Cardiovascular Disease Incidence and Mortality in the United States Men and Women with Diabetes Mellitus

BACKGROUND

Evidence regarding the potential health effects of dietary amino acids glutamine and glutamate among individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is limited.

OBJECTIVES

The aim was to examine dietary glutamine and glutamate in relation to subsequent risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality among individuals with T2D.

METHODS

We prospectively followed 15,040 men and women with T2D at baseline or diagnosed during follow-up (Nurses' Health Study: 1980-2014 and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study: 1986-2018). Diet was repeatedly assessed using validated food frequency questionnaires every 2-4 y. Associations of energy-adjusted glutamine and glutamate intake, as well as their ratio, with CVD risk and mortality, were assessed using Cox proportional-hazards models with adjustments for demographics, dietary and lifestyle factors, and medical history.

RESULTS

During 196,955 and 225,371 person-years of follow-up in participants with T2D, there were 2927 incident CVD cases and 4898 deaths, respectively. Higher intake of glutamine was associated with lower risk of CVD incidence, CVD mortality, and total mortality: comparing extreme quintiles, the hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) were 0.88 (0.77, 0.99), 0.78 (0.65, 0.92), and 0.84 (0.76, 0.92), respectively (all P-trend < 0.05). In contrast, higher intake of glutamate was associated with a higher risk of CVD incidence, CVD mortality, and total mortality; the HRs were 1.30 (1.15, 1.46), 1.46 (1.24, 1.72), and 1.20 (1.09, 1.32), respectively (all P-trend < 0.05). Furthermore, comparing extreme quintiles, a higher dietary glutamine-to-glutamate ratio was associated with a lower risk of CVD incidence (0.84 [0.75, 0.95]), CVD mortality (0.66 [0.57, 0.77]), and total mortality (0.82 [0.75, 0.90]). In addition, compared with participants with stable or decreased consumption of glutamine-to-glutamate ratio from prediabetes to postdiabetes diagnosis, those who increased the ratio had a 17% (5%, 27%) lower CVD mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

In adults with T2D, dietary glutamine was associated with a lower risk of CVD incidence and mortality, whereas the opposite was observed for glutamate intake.

Sex-Specific Associations between Adiponectin and Leptin Signaling and Pancreatic Cancer Survival

BACKGROUND

Circulating adiponectin and leptin have been associated with risk of pancreatic cancer. However, the relationship between long-term exposure to these adipokines in the prediagnostic period with patient survival has not been investigated.

METHODS

Adipokine levels were measured in prospectively collected samples from 472 patients with pancreatic cancer. Because of sex-specific differences in adipokine levels, associations were evaluated separately for men and women. In a subset of 415 patients, we genotyped 23 SNPs in adiponectin receptor genes (ADIPOR1 and ADIPOR2) and 30 SNPs in the leptin receptor gene (LEPR).

RESULTS

Adiponectin levels were inversely associated with survival in women [HR, 1.71; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.15-2.54]; comparing top with bottom quartile but not in men (HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.46-1.70). The SNPs rs10753929 and rs1418445 in ADIPOR1 were associated with survival in the combined population (per minor allele HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.51-0.84, and HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.12-1.58, respectively). Among SNPs in LEPR, rs12025906, rs3790431, and rs17127601 were associated with survival in the combined population [HRs, 1.54 (95% CI, 1.25-1.90), 0.72 (95% CI, 0.59-0.88), and 0.70 (95% CI, 0.56-0.89), respectively], whereas rs11585329 was associated with survival in men only (HR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.23-0.66; Pinteraction = 0.0002).

CONCLUSIONS

High levels of adiponectin in the prediagnostic period were associated with shorter survival among women, but not among men with pancreatic cancer. Several polymorphisms in ADIPOR1 and LEPR are associated with patient survival.

IMPACT

Our findings reveal the association between adipokine signaling and pancreatic cancer survival and demonstrate the importance of examining obesity-associated pathways in relation to pancreatic cancer in a sex-specific manner.

The Women's Soccer Health Study: From Head to Toe

OBJECTIVES

Women are under-represented in the sports literature despite increasing rates of sports participation. Our objective was to investigate the risks and benefits of an elite women's soccer career in five health domains: general, musculoskeletal, reproductive endocrinology, post-concussion, and mental.

METHODS

An online survey was distributed to retired US college, semi-professional, professional, and national team soccer players using personal networks, email, and social media. Short validated questionnaires were used to evaluate the health domains, including the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), Single Assessment Numerical Evaluation (SANE), Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS), and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ).

RESULTS

A total of 560 eligible players responded to the survey over a 1-year period. The highest competitive levels were 73% college, 16% semi-professional, 8% professional, and 4% national team. The mean number of years since retirement was 12 (SD = 9), and 17.0% retired for involuntary reasons. The mean SANE scores (0-100 scale as percentage of normal) were knee = 75% (SD = 23), hip = 83% (SD = 23), and shoulder = 87% (SD = 21). The majority (63%) reported that their current activity level included participation in impact sports. A substantial proportion of players reported menstrual irregularities during their careers: 40% had fewer periods with increasing exercise and 22% had no periods for ≥ 3 months. The players (n = 44) who felt that post-concussion symptoms were due to soccer reported more time-loss concussions (F[2] = 6.80, p = 0.002) and symptom severity (F[2] = 30.26, p < 0.0001). Players who recently retired (0-5 years) reported the highest anxiety/depression scores and lowest satisfaction rates compared with those who retired 19+ years ago.

CONCLUSION

Health concerns include musculoskeletal injuries, post-concussion symptoms, and lower mental health in the early years following retirement. This comprehensive survey provides initial results that will lay the foundation for further analyses and prioritize research studies that can help all female athletes.

Using data visualization to characterize whole-person health of public health nurses

OBJECTIVE

To characterize patterns in whole-person health of public health nurses (PHNs).

DESIGN AND SAMPLE

Survey of a convenience sample of PHNs (n = 132) in 2022. PHNs self-identified as female (96.2%), white (86.4%), between the ages 25-44 (54.5%) and 45-64 (40.2%), had bachelor's degrees (65.9%) and incomes of $50-75,000 (30.3%) and $75-100,000/year (29.5%).

MEASUREMENTS

Simplified Omaha System Terms (SOST) within the MyStrengths+MyHealth assessment of whole-person health (strengths, challenges, and needs) across Environmental, Psychosocial, Physiological, and Health-related Behaviors domains.

RESULTS

PHNs had more strengths than challenges; and more challenges than needs. Four patterns were discovered: (1) inverse relationship between strengths and challenges/needs; (2) Many strengths; (3) High needs in Income; (4) Fewest strengths in Sleeping, Emotions, Nutrition, and Exercise. PHNs with Income as a strength (n = 79) had more strengths (t = 5.570, p < .001); fewer challenges (t = -5.270, p < .001) and needs (t = -3.659, p < .001) compared to others (n = 53).

CONCLUSIONS

PHNs had many strengths compared to previous research with other samples, despite concerning patterns of challenges and needs. Most PHN whole-person health patterns aligned with previous literature. Further research is needed to validate and extend these findings toward improving PHN health.

Germline mechanisms of immunotherapy toxicities in the era of genome-wide association studies

Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of advanced cancers and is quickly becoming an option for early-stage disease. By reactivating the host immune system, immunotherapy harnesses patients' innate defenses to eradicate the tumor. By putatively similar mechanisms, immunotherapy can also substantially increase the risk of toxicities or immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Severe irAEs can lead to hospitalization, treatment discontinuation, lifelong immune complications, or even death. Many irAEs present with similar symptoms to heritable autoimmune diseases, suggesting that germline genetics may contribute to their onset. Recently, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of irAEs have identified common germline associations and putative mechanisms, lending support to this hypothesis. A wide range of well-established GWAS methods can potentially be harnessed to understand the etiology of irAEs specifically and immunotherapy outcomes broadly. This review summarizes current findings regarding germline effects on immunotherapy outcomes and discusses opportunities and challenges for leveraging germline genetics to understand, predict, and treat irAEs.

The MARS PETCARE BIOBANK protocol: establishing a longitudinal study of health and disease in dogs and cats

BACKGROUND

The veterinary care of cats and dogs is increasingly embracing innovations first applied to human health, including an increased emphasis on preventative care and precision medicine. Large scale human population biobanks have advanced research in these areas; however, few have been established in veterinary medicine. The MARS PETCARE BIOBANK™ (MPB) is a prospective study that aims to build a longitudinal bank of biological samples, with paired medical and lifestyle data, from 20,000 initially healthy cats and dogs (10,000 / species), recruited through veterinary hospitals over a ten-year period. Here, we describe the MPB protocol and discuss its potential as a platform to increase understanding of why and how diseases develop and how to advance personalised veterinary healthcare.

METHODS

At regular intervals, extensive diet, health and lifestyle information, electronic medical records, clinicopathology and activity data are collected, genotypes, whole genome sequences and faecal metagenomes analysed, and blood, plasma, serum, and faecal samples stored for future research.

DISCUSSION

Proposed areas for research include the early detection and progression of age-related disease, risk factors for common conditions, the influence of the microbiome on health and disease and, through genome wide association studies, the identification of candidate loci for disease associated genetic variants. Genomic data will be open access and research proposals for access to data and samples will be considered. Over the coming years, the MPB will provide the longitudinal data and systematically collected biological samples required to generate important insights into companion animal health, identifying biomarkers of disease, supporting earlier identification of risk, and enabling individually tailored interventions to manage disease.

Systematic review of the association between talc and female reproductive tract cancers

Talc is a hydrous magnesium sheet silicate used in cosmetic powders, ceramics, paints, rubber, and many other products. We conducted a systematic review of the potential carcinogenicity of genitally applied talc in humans. Our systematic review methods adhere to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and incorporated aspects from the US Institute of Medicine (IOM, now the National Academy of Medicine) and several US EPA frameworks for systematic reviews, evaluating and integrating the epidemiological, animal, and mechanistic literature on talc and cancer. We conducted a comprehensive literature search. Detailed data abstraction and study quality evaluation, adapting the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) framework, were central to our analysis. The literature search and selection process identified 40 primary studies that assessed exposure to talc and female reproductive cancer risks in humans (n = 36) and animals (n = 4). The results of our evaluation emphasize the importance of considering biological plausibility and study quality in systematic review. Integrating all streams of evidence according to the IOM framework yielded classifications of suggestive evidence of no association between perineal application of talcum powders and risk of ovarian cancer at human-relevant exposure levels. We also concluded that there is suggestive evidence of no association between genital talc application and endometrial cancer, and insufficient evidence to determine whether a causal association exists between genital talc application and cervical cancer based on a smaller but largely null body of literature.

Nutritional redundancy in the human diet and its application in phenotype association studies

Studying human dietary intake may help us identify effective measures to treat or prevent many chronic diseases whose natural histories are influenced by nutritional factors. Here, by examining five cohorts with dietary intake data collected on different time scales, we show that the food intake profile varies substantially across individuals and over time, while the nutritional intake profile appears fairly stable. We refer to this phenomenon as 'nutritional redundancy' and attribute it to the nested structure of the food-nutrient network. This network enables us to quantify the level of nutritional redundancy for each diet assessment of any individual. Interestingly, this nutritional redundancy measure does not strongly correlate with any classical healthy diet scores, but its performance in predicting healthy aging shows comparable strength. Moreover, after adjusting for age, we find that a high nutritional redundancy is associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Web-Based Survey Piloting Process as a Model for Developing and Testing Past Contraceptive Use and Pregnancy History: Cystic Fibrosis Case Study

BACKGROUND

Individuals with complex, chronic diseases are now living longer, making reproductive health an important topic to address in the health care setting. Self-respondent surveys are a feasible way to collect past contraceptive use and pregnancy history to assess contraceptive safety and effectiveness. Because sensitive topics, such as contraception and pregnancy outcomes, can vary across social groups or cultures, piloting questions and evaluating survey administration procedures in the target population are necessary for precise and reliable responses before wide distribution.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to develop a precise and reliable survey instrument and related procedures among individuals with cystic fibrosis regarding contraceptive use and obstetrical history.

METHODS

We piloted and tested web-based questions related to contraceptive use and pregnancy history among 50 participants with and those without cystic fibrosis aged 18 to 45 years using a 3-tier process. Findings from each tier informed changes to the questionnaire before testing in the subsequent tier. Tier 1 used cognitive pretesting to assess question understanding and the need for memory prompts. In tier 2, we used test-retest self- and interviewer-administered approaches to assess question reliability, evaluate response missingness, and determine confidence between 2 types of survey administration approaches. In tier 3, we tested the questionnaire for clarity, time to complete, and whether additional prompts were necessary.

RESULTS

In tier 1, respondents suggested improvements to the web-based survey questions and to the written and visual prompts for better recall regarding past contraceptive use. In tier 2, the test-retest reliability between self- and interviewer-administrative procedures of "ever use" contraceptive method questions was similar, with percent absolute agreement ranging between 84% and 100%. When the survey was self-administered, the percentage of missing responses was higher and respondent confidence about month and year when contraceptive methods were used was lower. Most respondents reported that they preferred the self-administered survey because it was more convenient and faster to complete.

CONCLUSIONS

Our 3-tier process to pilot web-based survey questions related to contraceptive and obstetrical history in our complex disease population helped us tailor content and format questions before wide dissemination to our target population. Results from this pilot study informed the subsequent larger study design to include a 10% respondent test-retest self- and interviewer-administered quality control component to better inform imputation procedures of missing data.

Dietary Inflammatory and Insulinemic Potentials, Plasma Metabolome and Risk of Colorectal Cancer

The inflammatory and insulinemic potentials of diets have been associated with colorectal cancer risk. However, it is unknown whether the plasma metabolite profiles related to inflammatory diets, or to insulinemic diets, underlie this association. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between metabolomic profile scores related to the food-based empirical dietary inflammatory patterns (EDIP), the empirical dietary index for hyperinsulinemia (EDIH), and plasma inflammation (CRP, IL-6, TNFα-R2, adiponectin) and insulin (C-peptide) biomarkers, and colorectal cancer risk. Elastic net regression was used to derive three metabolomic profile scores for each dietary pattern among 6840 participants from the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and associations with CRC risk were examined using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression, in a case-control study of 524 matched pairs nested in both cohorts. Among 186 known metabolites, 27 were significantly associated with both the EDIP and inflammatory biomarkers, and 21 were significantly associated with both the EDIH and C-peptide. In men, odds ratios (ORs) of colorectal cancer, per 1 standard deviation (SD) increment in metabolomic score, were 1.91 (1.31-2.78) for the common EDIP and inflammatory-biomarker metabolome, 1.12 (0.78-1.60) for EDIP-only metabolome, and 1.65 (1.16-2.36) for the inflammatory-biomarkers-only metabolome. However, no association was found for EDIH-only, C-peptide-only, and the common metabolomic signatures in men. Moreover, the metabolomic signatures were not associated with colorectal cancer risk among women. Metabolomic profiles reflecting pro-inflammatory diets and inflammation biomarkers were associated with colorectal cancer risk in men, while no association was found in women. Larger studies are needed to confirm our findings.