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Many dietary guidelines recommend restricting the consumption of processed red meat (PRM) in favour of healthier foods such as fish, to reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. The objective of this study was to estimate the potential effect of replacing PRM for fatty fish, lean fish, red meat, eggs, pulses, or vegetables, on the risk of incident hypertension and diabetes. This was a prospective study of women in the E3N cohort study. Cases of diabetes and hypertension were based on self-report, specific questionnaires, and drug reimbursements. In the main analysis, information on regular dietary intake was assessed with a single food history questionaire, and food substitutions were modelled using cox proportional hazard models. 95 % confidence intervals were generated via bootstrapping. 71 081 women free of diabetes and 45 771 women free of hypertension were followed for an average of 18·7 and 18·3 years, respectively. 2681 incident cases of diabetes and 12 327 incident cases of hypertension were identified. Relative to PRM, fatty fish was associated with a 15 % lower risk of diabetes (HR = 0·85, 95 CI (0·73, 0·97)) and hypertension (HR = 0 85 (0·79, 0·91)). Between 3 and 10 % lower risk of hypertension or diabetes was also observed when comparing PRM with vegetables, unprocessed red meat or pulses. Relative to PRM, alternative protein sources such as fatty fish, unprocessed red meat, vegetables or pulses was associated with a lower risk of hypertension and diabetes.

Background: Since the first version of the dietary inflammatory index (DII®) developed in the past decade, several other versions have been developed. However, to date no study has attempted to compare these versions with respect to their associations with biomarkers of inflammation. Objective: We aimed to investigate the relationship between four dietary inflammatory scores [DII, two energy-adjusted derivatives (E-DII and E-DIIr), and the Inflammatory Score of the Diet (ISD)], and circulating levels of several inflammatory markers and adipokines. Methods: This study included 17 637 participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort with at least one marker of inflammation measured in blood. Associations between the four scores and C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)6, IL10, IL1RA, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (sTNFR1), sTNFR2, leptin, soluble leptin receptor (sLeptin R), adiponectin, and High Molecular Weight (HMW) adiponectin were evaluated using multivariable linear regressions adjusted for potential confounders. Results: Positive associations were observed between the four dietary inflammatory scores and levels of CRP, IL6, sTNFR1, sTNFR2 and leptin. However, only the DII and the ISD were positively associated with IL1RA levels and only the DII and the E-DIIr were positively associated with TNFα levels. The proportion of variance of each biomarker explained by the scores was lower than 2%, which was equivalent to the variance explained by smoking status but much lower than that explained by body mass index. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the four dietary inflammatory scores were associated with some biomarkers of inflammation and could be used to assess the inflammatory potential of diet in European adults but are not sufficient to capture the inflammatory status of an individual. These findings can help to better understand the inflammatory potential of diet, but they need to be replicated in studies with repeated dietary measurements.

Purpose - Chronic inflammation is thought to initiate or promote differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and previous studies have shown that diet can modulate this inflammatory process. We aimed to evaluate the association of several dietary scores reflecting the inflammatory potential of the diet with DTC risk. Methods - Within the EPIC cohort, 450,063 participants were followed during a mean period of 14 years, and 712 newly incident DTC cases were identified. Associations between four dietary inflammatory scores [the dietary inflammatory index (DII®) and two energy-adjusted derivatives (the E-DIIr and the E-DIId), and the Inflammatory Score of the Diet (ISD)] and DTC risk were evaluated in the EPIC cohort using multivariable Cox regression models. Results - Positive associations were observed between DTC risk and the DIIs (HR for 1 SD increase in DII: 1.11, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.23, similar results for its derivatives), but not with the ISD (HR for 1 SD increase: 1.04, 95% CI 0.93, 1.16). Conclusion - Diet-associated inflammation, as estimated by the DII and its derivatives, was weakly positively associated with DTC risk in a European adult population. These results suggesting that diet-associated inflammation acts in the etiology of DTC need to be validated in independent studies.

Purpose The impact of a healthy diet on asthma prevention and management, particularly among elderly women, remains poorly understood. We investigated whether a healthy diet would be associated with fewer asthma symptoms, and, among women with asthma, with reduced uncontrolled asthma and metabolic-related multimorbidity. Methods We included 12,991 elderly women (mean age = 63 years) from the Asthma-E3N study, a nested case–control study within the French E3N cohort. Negative binomial regressions were used to analyse associations between a healthy diet [evaluated by the Alternate Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI-2010)] and a validated asthma symptom score, and logistic regressions to analyse associations between the AHEI-2010 with the asthma control test and multimorbidity profiles previously identified by clustering methods on medications used. Results After adjustment for potential confounders, a linear inverse association was found between the AHEI-2010 score and the asthma symptom score [mean score ratio (95% CI) = 0.82 (0.75–0.90) for the highest versus lowest quintile; p for trend p for trend = 0.05; n = 3474]. Conclusion Our results show that a healthy dietary intake could play an important role in the prevention and management of asthma over the life course.

Background: Recently, a dietary index reflecting adherence to the 2017 French food-based dietary guidelines, the Programme National Nutrition Santé - guidelines score 2 (PNNS-GS2), has been developed, but evidence on its level of adherence and incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk is limited. Objective: We aimed to investigate the association between adherence to the simplified PNNS-GS2 (sPNNS-GS2) and the risk of incident T2D in a French cohort of women. Methods: Between 1993 and 2014, 71,450 women aged over 18 years were examined, and thereafter followed up for the occurrence of T2D within the E3N-EPIC prospective cohort. Dietary data were collected at baseline via a food frequency questionnaire, and the sPNNS-GS2 was derived for each participant. Multivariable Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of T2D for continuous and quintile groups of the sPNNS-GS2. Effect modification by body mass index (BMI) and mediation by BMI and waist-hip ratio (WHR) were explored. Results: The mean age was 52.9 years (SD 6.7). During a mean follow-up of 19 years, 3679 incident T2D cases were identified and validated. There was a linear association between adherence to sPNNS-GS2 and T2D risk (P non-linear = 0.85). In the fully adjusted model, each 1-SD increase in the sPNNS-GS2 was associated with a 8% decrease risk of T2D [HR (95% CI), 0.92 (0.89, 0.95)]. Compared to those with the lowest adherence (first quintile), the third [HR (95% CI), 0.91 (0.82, 1.00)] up to the fifth quintile group [HR (95% CI), 0.79 (0.71, 0.88)] had a lower T2D risk. There was a sPNNS-GS2 x BMI interaction on T2D risk (P interaction < 0.01) but not with WHR. The overall association was partly mediated by BMI (18%) and WHR (59%). Conclusion: Higher adherence to the 2017 French food-based dietary guidelines was associated with a lower risk of T2D in women. Furthermore, our mediation analysis suggests that the lower risk of T2D in women associated with adherence to the sPNNS-GS2 is partly mediated by obesity measured by BMI or WHR.

Background Fruit and vegetable (FV) are part of a healthy diet as their consumption has been consistently associated with a reduction in the risk of premature mortality and various biomarkers of inflammation have been hypothesized to partially explain such relationships. However, empirical evidence quantifying the mediating role of such biomarkers in the relationship between FV intake and mortality is not available at the population level. The present study examines the association between FV daily servings or objectively measured biomarkers of FV intake and mortality and the extent to which a biomarker of inflammation mediates these associations. Methods We used data on 13,892 adults aged ≥ 20 years enrolled in the NHANES-III between 1988 and 1994 and followed up through Dec 31, 2015. Daily serving of FV was assessed using 24-hour dietary recall and mortality was determined from the National Death Index records. Serum concentrations of 6 biomarkers of FV intake and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured in blood samples. We used a causal mediation analysis with Aalen additive hazards models to decompose the total effect of FV intake on mortality into natural direct and indirect (through CRP level) effects while controlling for a priori-defined confounders. We also calculated the proportion mediated. Results Over the follow-up period, 5023 participants died (1503 from cardiovascular diseases, and 1110 from cancer). High daily FV serving (at least 5 servings) and high level of FV biomarker (> median) were associated with a lower risk of death compared to low daily servings and low level of FV intake biomarker, respectively. Comparing participants with high scores to low scores of the FV intake biomarker, we observed reduced hazard rate difference for all-cause (-0.54 per 10000 person-year [95% CI -0.72 to -0.33]), cardiovascular disease (-0.19 per 10000 person-year [95% CI -0.26 to -0.12]), and cancer (-0.10 per 10000 person-year [95% CI -0.14 to -0.06]) mortality that can be attributed to subsequent decreases in CRP. The corresponding proportions mediated were 16%, 17%, and 10% for all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality, respectively. Conclusion Our findings confirmed the beneficial effects of FV intake and that the effects were partly mediated by a reduction in circulating CRP.

Background/Objectives: Obesity and type diabetes (T2D) have been associated with low adherence to the 2017 French food-based dietary guidelines, as assessed by the Programme National Nutrition Santé - guidelines score 2 (PNNS-GS2). However, whether the association between T2D and the PNNS-GS2 is direct or mediated by obesity, a major risk factor for T2D, has been little investigated. Subjects/Methods: The study included 71,450 women from the French E3N-EPIC cohort, mean age of 52.9 years (SD 6.7). The simplified PNNS-GS2 (sPNNS-GS2) was derived via a food history questionnaire. Multivariable Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of T2D for each 1-SD increase in sPNNS-GS2. Causal mediation analyses were used to decompose the total effect of sPNNS-GS2 on T2D into a direct effect and indirect effect mediated by body mass index (BMI) or the waist-hip ratio (WHR). Results: During a mean follow-up of 19 years, 3679 incident T2D cases were identified and validated. There was a linear association between adherence to sPNNS-GS2 and T2D risk (P-nonlinearity = 0.92). In the fully adjusted model, each 1-SD increase in the sPNNS-GS2 was associated with a lower risk of T2D [HR (95% CI), 0.92 (0.89, 0.95)]. The overall associations were mainly explained by sPNNS-GS2-associated excess weight, with BMI and WHR mediating 52% and 58% of the associations, respectively. Conclusions: Higher adherence to the 2017 French food-based dietary guidelines was associated with a lower risk of T2D in women, and a significant portion of this effect could be attributed to excess weight measured by BMI or WHR. This finding helps better understand the mechanisms underlying the diet-T2D association.

Introduction: We investigated the impact of changes in lifestyle habits on colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in a multi-country European cohort. Methods: We used baseline and follow-up questionnaire data from the EPIC cohort to assess changes in lifestyle habits and their associations with CRC development. We calculated a healthy lifestyle index (HLI) score based on smoking status, alcohol consumption, body mass index and physical activity collected at the two timepoints. HLI ranged from 0 (most unfavourable) to 16 (most favourable). We estimated the association between HLI changes and CRC risk using Cox regression models and reported hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Among 295,865 participants, 2,799 CRC cases were observed over a median of 7.8 years. Median time between questionnaires was 5.7 years. Each unit increase in HLI from the baseline to the follow-up assessment was associated with a statistically significant 3% lower CRC risk. Among participants in the top tertile at baseline (HLI>11), those in the bottom tertile at follow-up (HLI≤9) had a higher CRC risk (HR 1.34; 95%CI 1.02-1.75) than those remaining in the top tertile. Among individuals in the bottom tertile at baseline, those in the top tertile at follow-up had a lower risk (HR 0.77; 95%CI 0.59-1.00) than those remaining in the bottom tertile. Discussion: Improving adherence to a healthy lifestyle was inversely associated with CRC risk, while worsening adherence was positively associated with CRC risk. These results justify and support recommendations for healthy lifestyle changes and healthy lifestyle maintenance for CRC prevention.

Many dietary guidelines recommend restricting the consumption of processed red meat (PRM) in favour of healthier foods such as fish, to reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. The objective of this study was to estimate the potential effect of replacing PRM for fatty fish, lean fish, red meat, eggs, pulses, or vegetables, on the risk of incident hypertension and diabetes. This was a prospective study of women in the E3N cohort study. Cases of diabetes and hypertension were based on self-report, specific questionnaires, and drug reimbursements. In the main analysis, information on regular dietary intake was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire, and food substitutions were modelled using cox proportional hazard models 95 % confidence intervals were generated via bootstrapping. 71,081 women free of diabetes and 45,771 women free of hypertension were followed for an average of 18.7 and 18.3 years respectively. 2,681 incident cases of diabetes and 12,327 incident cases of hypertension were identified. Replacing PRM with fatty fish was associated with a 15 % lower risk of diabetes (HR = 0.85, 95 CI [0.73: 0.97]), and hypertension (HR =0 .85 [0.79: 0.91]). Between 3 - 10 % lower risk of hypertension or diabetes was also observed when replacing PRM with vegetables, unprocessed red meat, or pulses. The replacement of PRM with alternative protein sources such as fatty fish, unprocessed red meat, vegetables, or pulses was associated with a reduced risk of hypertension and diabetes.

Background: Alcohol intake is an established risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC); however, there is limited knowledge on whether changing alcohol drinking habits during adulthood modifies CRC risk.Objective: Leveraging longitudinal exposure assessments on alcohol intake at different ages, we examined the relationship between change in alcohol intake and subsequent CRC risk.Methods: Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, changes in alcohol intake comparing follow-up with baseline assessments were investigated in relation to CRC risk. The analysis included 191,180, participants and 1530 incident CRC cases, with exclusion of the first three years of follow-up to minimize reverse causation. Trajectory profiles of alcohol intake, assessed at ages 20, 30, 40, 50years, at baseline and during follow-up, were estimated using latent class mixed models and related to CRC risk, including 407,605 participants and 5,008 incident CRC cases.Results: Mean age at baseline was 50.2years and the follow-up assessment occurred on average 7.1 years later. Compared to stable intake, a 12 g/day increase in alcohol intake during follow-up was positively associated with CRC risk (HR = 1.15, 95%CI 1.04, 1.25), while a 12 g/day reduction was inversely associated with CRC risk (HR = 0.86, 95%CI 0.78, 0.95). Trajectory analysis showed that compared to low alcohol intake, men who increased their alcohol intake from early- to mid- and late-adulthood by up to 30 g/day on average had significantly increased CRC risk (HR = 1.24; 95%CI 1.08, 1.42), while no associations were observed in women. Results were consistent by anatomical subsite.Conclusions: Increasing alcohol intake during mid-to-late adulthood raised CRC risk, while reduction lowered risk

International audience; Background: Disturbances of glycemic control and large glycemic variability have been associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes in the general population as well as complications in people with diabetes. Long-term health benefits of physical activity are well documented but less is known about the timing of potential short-term effects on glycemic control and variability in free-living conditions. Materials and Methods: We analyzed data from 85 participants without diabetes from the Food & You digital cohort. During a 2-week follow-up, device-based daily step count was studied in relationship to glycemic control and variability indices using generalized estimating equations. Glycemic indices, evaluated using flash glucose monitoring devices (FreeStyle Libre), included minimum, maximum, mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation of daily glucose values, the glucose management indicator, and the approximate area under the sensor glucose curve. Results: We observed that every 1000 steps/day increase in daily step count was associated with a 0.3588 mg/dL (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.6931 to -0.0245), a 0.0917 mg/dL (95% CI: -0.1793 to -0.0042), and a 0.0022% (95% CI: -0.0043 to -0.0001) decrease in the maximum glucose values, mean glucose, and in the glucose management indicator of the following day, respectively. We did not find any association between daily step count and glycemic indices from the same day. Conclusions: Increasing physical activity level was linked to blunted glycemic excursions during the next day. Because health-related benefits of physical activity can be long to observe, such short-term physiological benefits could serve as personalized feedback to motivate individuals to engage in healthy behaviors.

OBJECTIVE Higher plasma vitamin C levels are associated with lower type 2 diabetes risk, but whether this association is causal is uncertain. To investigate this, we studied the association of genetically predicted plasma vitamin C with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We conducted genome-wide association studies of plasma vitamin C among 52,018 individuals of European ancestry to discover novel genetic variants. We performed Mendelian randomization analyses to estimate the association of genetically predicted differences in plasma vitamin C with type 2 diabetes in up to 80,983 case participants and 842,909 noncase participants. We compared this estimate with the observational association between plasma vitamin C and incident type 2 diabetes, including 8,133 case participants and 11,073 noncase participants. RESULTS We identified 11 genomic regions associated with plasma vitamin C (P < 5 × 10−8), with the strongest signal at SLC23A1, and 10 novel genetic loci including SLC23A3, CHPT1, BCAS3, SNRPF, RER1, MAF, GSTA5, RGS14, AKT1, and FADS1. Plasma vitamin C was inversely associated with type 2 diabetes (hazard ratio per SD 0.88; 95% CI 0.82, 0.94), but there was no association between genetically predicted plasma vitamin C (excluding FADS1 variant due to its apparent pleiotropic effect) and type 2 diabetes (1.03; 95% CI 0.96, 1.10). CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate discordance between biochemically measured and genetically predicted plasma vitamin C levels in the association with type 2 diabetes among European populations. The null Mendelian randomization findings provide no strong evidence to suggest the use of vitamin C supplementation for type 2 diabetes prevention.

Background: There is a worldwide shift towards increased consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) with concurrent rising prevalence of obesity. We examined the relationship between the consumption of UPF and weight gain and risk of obesity. Methods: This prospective cohort included 348 748 men and women aged 25-70 years. Participants were recruited between 1992 and 2000 from 9 European countries in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Two body weight measures were available, at baseline and after a median follow-up time of 5 years. Foods and drinks were assessed at baseline by dietary questionnaires and classified according to their degree of processing using NOVA classification. Multilevel mixed linear regression was used to estimate the association between UPF consumption and body weight change (kg/5 years). To estimate the relative risk of becoming overweight or obese after 5 years we used Poisson regression stratified according to baseline body mass index (BMI). Results: After multivariable adjustment, higher UPF consumption (per 1 SD increment) was positively associated with weight gain (0.12 kg/5 years, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.15). Comparing highest vs. lowest quintile of UPF consumption was associated with a 15% greater risk (95% CI 1.11, 1.19) of becoming overweight or obese in normal weight participants, and with a 16% greater risk (95% CI 1.09, 1.23) of becoming obese in participants who were overweight at baseline. Conclusions: These results are supportive of public health campaigns to substitute UPF for less processed alternatives for obesity prevention and weight management. (c) 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Dietary regimens promoting inflammatory conditions have been implicated in breast cancer development, but studies on the association between pro-inflammatory diet and breast cancer risk have reported inconsistent results. We investigated the association between the inflammatory potential of diet and breast cancer risk in a case–control study in France including 872 breast cancer cases and 966 population controls. All women completed a food frequency questionnaire that was used to compute a Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) based on the inflammatory weight of 33 dietary components. The DII ranged from a median of − 3.22 in the lowest quartile (anti-inflammatory) to + 2.96 in the highest quartile (pro-inflammatory). The odds ratio contrasting quartile 4 to quartile 1 was 1.31 (95% CI 1.00, 1.73; p-trend = 0.02). Slightly higher odds ratios were observed in post-menopausal women, particularly those with body mass index > 25 kg/m2 (odds ratio 1.62; 95% CI 0.92, 2.83; p-trend = 0.02), and among ever smokers (odds ratio 1.71; 95% CI 1.11, 2.65; p-trend 0.01). The analyses by breast cancer subtype showed that the DII was associated with breast tumors that expressed either the estrogen (ER) or progesterone (PR) hormone receptors or the Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2 (HER2), but no association was seen for the triple negative breast tumor subtype. Our results add further evidence that a pro-inflammatory diet is associated with breast cancer risk with possible effect variation according to tumor subtype.

Purpose Excess iron is involved in the development of non-communicable diseases such as cancer, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. We aimed to describe the prevalence of excess iron and its determinants in healthy European adults. Methods Sociodemographic, lifestyle, iron status, dietary information, and HFE genotyping were obtained from controls from the nested case–control study EPIC-EurGast study. High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) was measured to address possible systemic inflammation. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were used to assess iron status and its determinants. Results Out of the 828 participants (median age: 58.7 years), 43% were females. Median serum ferritin and prevalence of excess iron were 143.7 µg/L and 35.2% in males, respectively, and 77 µg/L and 20% in females, both increasing with latitude across Europe. Prevalence of HFE C282Y mutation was significantly higher in Northern and Central Europe (~ 11%) than in the South (5%). Overweight/obesity, age, and daily alcohol and heme iron intake were independent determinants for iron status, with sex differences even after excluding participants with hsCRP > 5 mg/L. Obese males showed a greater consumption of alcohol, total and red meat, and heme iron, compared with those normal weight. Conclusion Obesity, higher alcohol and heme iron consumption were the main risk factors for excess iron in males while only age was associated with iron overload in females. Weight control and promoting healthy lifestyle may help prevent iron overload, especially in obese people. Further research is needed to clarify determinants of excess iron in the healthy adult population, helping to reduce the associated comorbidities.

Background: Dietary regimens promoting inflammatory conditions have been implicated in breast cancer development, but studies on the association between pro-inflammatory diet and breast cancer risk have reported inconsistent results. Methods: We investigated the association between the inflammatory potential of diet and breast cancer risk in a case-control study in France including 872 breast cancer cases and 966 age-matched population controls. All women completed a food frequency questionnaire that was used to compute a Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) based on the inflammatory weight of 33 dietary components. Results: The DII ranged from a median of -3.22 in the lowest quartile (anti-inflammatory) to +2.96 in the highest quartile (pro-inflammatory). The odds ratio contrasting quartile 4 to quartile 1 was 1.31 (95%CI: 1.00, 1.73; p -trend=0.02). Slightly higher odds ratios were observed in post-menopausal women, particularly those with body mass index >25kg/m 2 (odds ratio 1.62; 95%CI: 0.92, 2.83; p -trend=0.02), and among ever smokers (odds ratio 1.71; 95%CI: 1.11, 2.65; p-trend 0.01). The analyses by breast cancer subtype showed that the DII was associated with breast tumors that expressed either the estrogen (ER) or progesterone (PR) hormone receptors or the Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2 (HER2), but no association was seen for the triple negative breast tumor subtype. Conclusion: Our results add further evidence that a pro-inflammatory diet is associated with breast cancer risk with possible effect variation according to tumor subtype.

The role of chronic inflammation on breast cancer (BC) risk remains unclear beyond as an underlying mechanism of obesity and physical activity. We aimed to evaluate the association between the inflammatory potential of the diet and risk of BC overall, according to menopausal status and tumour subtypes. Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort, 318,686 women were followed for 14 years, among whom 13,246 incident BC cases were identified. The inflammatory potential of the diet was characterized by an inflammatory score of the diet (ISD). Multivariable Cox regression models were used to assess the potential effect of the ISD on BC risk by means of hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). ISD was positively associated with BC risk. Each increase of one standard deviation (1-Sd) of the score increased by 4% the risk of BC (HR=1.04; 95% CI: 1.01-1.07). Women in the highest quintile of the ISD (indicating most pro-inflammatory diet) had a 12% increase in risk compared with those in the lowest quintile (HR=1.12; 95% CI: 1.04-1.21) with a significant trend. The association was strongest among premenopausal women, with an 8% increased risk for 1-Sd increase in the score (HR=1.08; 95% CI: 1.01-1.14). The pattern of the association was quite homogeneous by BC subtypes based on hormone receptor status. There were no significant interactions between ISD and body mass index, physical activity or alcohol consumption. Women consuming more pro-inflammatory diets as measured by ISD are at increased risk for BC, especially premenopausal women.

BACKGROUND Few studies have evaluated the quality of plant-based diets in relation to chronic diseases, and the potential role of BMI is not clearly explored. OBJECTIVES To study the associations between plant-based diet indices and type 2 diabetes (T2D) and hypertension risks, as well as the extent to which the associations were modified and/or mediated by BMI. METHODS The study included 74,522 women from the Etude Epidemiologique aupres de femmes de la Mutuelle Generale de l'Education Nationale prospective cohort [mean (SD): age, 52.94 (6.7) years; BMI, 22.970 (3.328) kg/m2]. Dietary data were collected at baseline (1993) via an FFQ. Overall plant-based diet index (PDI), healthful PDI (hPDI), and unhealthful PDI (uPDI) were developed. Multivariable Cox regression models were used to derive HRs and 95% CIs. Effect modification and mediation by BMI were explored. RESULTS There were 3292 (4.64%) incident cases of T2D and 12,504 (27.14%) incident cases of hypertension over ∼20 years of follow-up. In the multivariable model further adjusted for BMI, higher adherence to PDI and hPDI was associated with lower T2D and hypertension risks, with an HR per 1-SD increase (95% CI) of 0.88 (0.85, 0.91) and 0.96 (0.94, 0.98) for PDI and 0.88 (0.85, 0.92) and 0.94 (0.92, 0.95) for hPDI, respectively. uPDI was not associated with T2D [0.98 (0.94, 1.01)], whereas a positive association was observed with hypertension: 1.04 (1.02, 1.06). There was interaction between PDI and uPDI, as well as BMI, on T2D (P-interaction 0.05). In addition, BMI mediated 26-59% and 0.2-59% of diet-T2D and diet-hypertension associations, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Differential associations between plant-based diets and T2D and hypertension risks were observed among women in this large prospective study. Only healthier plant foods were associated with lower risks, partly through decreasing BMI. The protocol was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03285230.

This study examines the correlation of acute and habitual dietary intake of flavan-3-ol monomers, proanthocyanidins, theaflavins, and their main food sources with the urinary concentrations of (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study (EPIC). Participants (N = 419, men and women) provided 24-h urine samples and completed a 24-h dietary recall (24-HDR) on the same day. Acute and habitual dietary data were collected using a standardized 24-HDR software and a validated dietary questionnaire, respectively. Intake of flavan-3-ols was estimated using the Phenol-Explorer database. Concentrations of (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin in 24-h urine were analyzed using tandem mass spectrometry after enzymatic deconjugation. Simple and partial Spearman’s correlations showed that urinary concentrations of (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin and their sum were more strongly correlated with acute than with habitual intake of individual and total monomers (acute rpartial = 0.13–0.54, p &lt, 0.05, and habitual rpartial = 0.14–0.28, p &lt, 0.01), proanthocyanidins (acute rpartial = 0.24–0.49, p &lt, 0.001, and habitual rpartial = 0.10–0.15, p &lt, 0.05), theaflavins (acute rpartial = 0.22–0.31, p &lt, and habitual rpartial = 0.20–0.26, p &lt, 0.01), and total flavan-3-ols (acute rpartial = 0.40–0.48, p &lt, and habitual rpartial = 0.23–0.33, p &lt, 0.001). Similarly, urinary concentrations of flavan-3-ols were weakly correlated with both acute (rpartial = 0.12–0.30, p &lt, 0.05) and habitual intake (rpartial = 0.10–0.27, p &lt, 0.05) of apple and pear, stone fruits, berries, chocolate and chocolate products, cakes and pastries, tea, herbal tea, wine, red wine, and beer and cider. Moreover, all comparable correlations were stronger for urinary (-)-epicatechin than for (+)-catechin. In conclusion, our data support the use of urinary concentrations of (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin, especially as short-term nutritional biomarkers of dietary catechin, epicatechin and total flavan-3-ol monomers.

International audience; The role of chronic inflammation on breast cancer (BC) risk remains unclear beyond as an underlying mechanism of obesity and physical activity. We aimed to evaluate the association between the inflammatory potential of the diet and risk of BC overall, according to menopausal status and tumour subtypes. Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort, 318,686 women were followed for 14 years, among whom 13,246 incident BC cases were identified. The inflammatory potential of the diet was characterized by an inflammatory score of the diet (ISD). Multivariable Cox regression models were used to assess the potential effect of the ISD on BC risk by means of hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). ISD was positively associated with BC risk. Each increase of one standard deviation (1-Sd) of the score increased by 4% the risk of BC (HR = 1.04; 95% CI 1.01–1.07). Women in the highest quintile of the ISD (indicating a most pro-inflammatory diet) had a 12% increase in risk compared with those in the lowest quintile (HR = 1.12; 95% CI 1.04–1.21) with a significant trend. The association was strongest among premenopausal women, with an 8% increased risk for 1-Sd increase in the score (HR = 1.08; 95% CI 1.01–1.14). The pattern of the association was quite homogeneous by BC subtypes based on hormone receptor status. There were no significant interactions between ISD and body mass index, physical activity, or alcohol consumption. Women consuming more pro-inflammatory diets as measured by ISD are at increased risk for BC, especially premenopausal women.