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Abstract Background Although Iran is a high-risk region for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), dietary factors that may contribute to this high incidence have not been thoroughly studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of macronutrients, vitamins and minerals on the risk of ESCC. Methods In this hospital-based case-control study, 47 cases with incident ESCC and 96 controls were interviewed and usual dietary intakes were collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Data were modeled through unconditional multiple logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), controlling for age, sex, gastrointestinal reflux, body mass index, smoking history (status, intensity and duration), physical activity, and education. Results ESCC cases consumed significantly more hot foods and beverages and fried and barbecued meals, compared to the controls (p < 0.05). After adjusting for potential confounders, the risk of ESCC increased significantly in the highest tertiles of saturated fat [OR:2.88,95%CI:1.15-3.08], cholesterol [OR:1.53, 95%CI: 1.41-4.13], discretionary calorie [OR:1.51, 95%CI: 1.06-3.84], sodium [OR:1.49,95%CI:1.12-2.89] and total fat intakes [OR:1.48, 95%CI:1.09-3.04]. In contrast, being in the highest tertile of carbohydrate, dietary fiber and (n-3) fatty acid intake reduced the ESCC risk by 78%, 71% and 68%, respectively. The most cancer-protective effect was observed for the combination of high folate and vitamin E intakes (OR: 0.02, 95%CI: 0.00-0.87; p < 0.001). Controls consumed 623.5 times higher selenium, 5.48 times as much β-carotene and 1.98 times as much α-tocopherol as the amount ESCC cases consumed. Conclusion This study suggests that high intake of nutrients primarily found in plant-based foods is associated with a reduced esophageal cancer risk. Some nutrients such as folate, vitamin E and selenium might play major roles in the etiology of ESCC and their status may eventually be used as an epidemiological marker for esophageal cancer in Iran, and perhaps other high-risk regions.

Gallbladder disease is one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal disorders that may result from a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors. This study examined the association of dietary patterns with gallstone disease among Iranian women. This case-control study was conducted in general teaching hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Participants were 101 female cases and 204 female controls aged 40-65 years who were admitted for problems other than GBD. Dietary patterns were identified using principal components analysis based on food frequency questionnaire. Compared to the control group, cases were less educated, less physically active, and consumed more total energy (p<0.02). Having ≥3 livebirths increased the risk of gallstone by more than 5 times, followed by having rapid weight loss, being single, having familial history of gallstone, and consuming high total energy. Two distinct dietary patterns were identified in women (healthy and unhealthy). After adjustment for several confounding variables, healthy dietary pattern was associated with a decreased risk of gallstone disease (OR=0.14, 95% CI 0.048-0.4) while unhealthy dietary pattern was associated with an increased risk (OR=3.77, 95% CI 1.52-9.36). These findings confirm that dietary pattern approach provides potentially useful and relevant information on the relationship between diet and disease. Identifying risk factors will provide an opportunity for prevention of gallbladder disease in developing countries facing an increased risk of obesity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveBreast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women worldwide. Several studies have examined the role of single nutrients and food groups in breast cancer pathogenesis but fewer investigations have addressed the role of dietary patterns. Our main objective was to identify the relationship between major dietary patterns and breast cancer risk among Iranian women.DesignHospital-based case–control study.SettingShohada Teaching Hospital, Tehran, Iran.SubjectsOverall, 100 female patients aged 30–65 years with breast cancer and 174 female hospital controls were included in the present study. Dietary intake was assessed using a valid and reliable semi-quantitative FFQ consisting of 168 food items.ResultsTwo dietary patterns were identified explaining 24·31 % of dietary variation in the study population. The ‘healthy’ food pattern was characterized by the consumption of vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products, legumes, olive and vegetable oils, fish, condiments, organ meat, poultry, pickles, soya and whole grains; while the ‘unhealthy’ food pattern was characterized by the consumption of soft drinks, sugars, tea and coffee, French fries and potato chips, salt, sweets and desserts, hydrogenated fats, nuts, industrial juice, refined grains, and red and processed meat. Compared with the lowest tertile, women in the highest tertile of the ‘healthy’ dietary pattern score had 75 % decreased risk of breast cancer (OR = 0·25, 95 % CI 0·08, 0·78), whereas women in the highest tertile of the ‘unhealthy’ dietary pattern had a significantly increased breast cancer risk (OR = 7·78, 95 % CI 2·31, 26·22).ConclusionsA healthy dietary pattern may be negatively associated with breast cancer risk, while an unhealthy dietary pattern is likely to increase the risk among Iranian women. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The role of under- and overreporting of energy intake in determining the dietary patterns is yet unclear, especially in the Middle Eastern countries. This study identifies the prevalence of misreporting among Tehranian women aged 18-45 years and to compare the dietary intake patterns of plausible and all energy reporters. Dietary intakes and anthropometric data were collected. FitMate™ metabolic analyzer and Goldberg equation were used in determining the under/overreporting of energy intake. Underreporters were more likely to be overweight and older compared to plausible reporters. Three dietary patterns emerged for all reporters, and two were identified for plausible reporters. Using only plausible reporters to determine dietary patterns was not similar to using all reporters. The proportion of underreporters was 59.3% in the mixture cluster, 30.4% in the unhealthy cluster, and 35.3% in the healthy cluster (p<0.05). Underreporting of energy intake is not uniformly distributed among dietary pattern clusters and tends to be less severe among subjects in the unhealthy cluster. Our data suggested that misreporting of energy intake might affect the dietary pattern analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a case-control study in Iran that explores the benefits of adherence to a Mediterranean- Style dietary pattern in relation to the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). It is noted that ESCC occurs more frequently in certain regions of the world known as the esophageal cancer belt like Iran, China and northern France. Results showed that preventive strategies to reduce ESCC risk in high-risk nations should focus on overall dietary patterns to be effective.

Background/Aim: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans Adherence Index (DGAI) 2005 was developed to assess the contribution of dietary patterns to chronic disease risk. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of dietary patterns as measured by the DGAI 2005 with the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) risk in Iran. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 50 ESCC cases and 100 hospital controls aged 40-75 years. Participants were interviewed using validated food frequency questionnaires and the DGAI score was calculated subsequently. Results: Generally, the mean DGAI 2005 score for this population was low (9.54 ± 1.79) and the control group scored significantly higher compared to the ESCC cases (p < 0.001). Being in the highest tertile of DGAI scores reduced the risk of ESCC by 31%. Consumption of salty, peppery, and sour foods in combination increased the ESCC risk by 7.23%, followed by consumption of fried/barbecued meals (OR 3.79; 95% CI 1.10-5.44; p < 0.001) and high-temperature food/beverages (OR 3.68; 95% CI 1.20-8.99; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Consumption of a diet in accordance with dietary recommendations was associated with a lower risk of ESCC. Preventive strategies to reduce the ESCC risk in high-risk regions of the world should focus on overall dietary patterns and dietary habits in order to be effective. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Undernutrition and food acceptability in hospitals form a worldwide problem, but existing studies offer a predominantly Western perspective. This research investigated inpatients’ satisfaction with meals in five Iranian hospitals, using focus group discussions, interviews and meal observations. The main problem areas included food quality and quantity, nutritional control, meal arrangements and staff attitudes. Iran''s hospitals follow a Western model, which may be appropriate for medical systems, but is less so for patient feeding, due to budgetary constraints and cultural factors. Understanding patients’ experience makes it possible to improve feeding arrangements, with a positive impact upon patients’ nutrition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this study was to compare dietary intakes by Tehranian adults with recent dietary guidelines for the Americans. The study made a cross-sectional assessment of the dietary patterns of Tehranian adults using a validated food-frequency questionnaire. It included 2,510 subjects (1,121 men and 1,389 women) aged 19-70 years. They were the participants of the third follow-up survey of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (2005-2008). The dietary patterns were assessed using the latest World Health Organization (WHO)'s nutritional goals and Dietary Guidelines for the Americans Adherence Index (DGAI) 2005. The mean [standard deviation (SD)] DGAI score for this population was 8.31 (1.9). Participants in the highest quartile category of DGAI were more likely to be female, older, non-smoking, and physically active than those in the lowest quartile category (p<0.001). Percentage of participants meeting the DGA recommendations was low, especially for starchy vegetables (2.3%), orange vegetables (16.2%), lean meat (9.2%), grains (12.0%), and legumes (6.4%). Over-consumption of grains was observed in almost half of the participants while approximately 20% of the subjects over-consumed milk and meat groups. Intakes of most nutrients examined were significantly associated with the DGAI 2005 score (p<0.001), except for vitamin E, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. The least adherence with the WHO goals was observed with n-3 PUFAs, sodium, fruit, and vegetable intakes. The results revealed that the dietary patterns of most Tehranian adults did not comply with the 2005 DGA and nutritional goals of WHO/Food and Agriculture Organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]