This is especially for Ben the seed-hater, who recently stated
that he would reconsider his disdain for nuts and seeds is there
were some evidence that they have positive value. I did some
digging through my archives and came up with these abstracts.
Todd Moody
[log in to unmask]
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Am J Clin Nutr 1999 Sep;70(3 Suppl):532S-538S
Associations between diet and cancer, ischemic heart disease, and
all-cause mortality in non-Hispanic white California Seventh-day
Adventists.
Fraser GE
Center for Health Research and the Department of Epidemiology and
Biostatistics, Loma Linda University, CA 92350, USA.
[log in to unmask]
Results associating diet with chronic disease in a cohort of
34192 California Seventh-day Adventists are summarized. Most
Seventh-day Adventists do not smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol,
and there is a wide range of dietary exposures within the
population. About 50% of those studied ate meat products <1
time/wk or not at all, and vegetarians consumed more tomatoes,
legumes, nuts, and fruit, but less coffee, doughnuts, and eggs
than did nonvegetarians. Multivariate analyses showed
significant associations between beef consumption and fatal
ischemic heart disease (IHD) in men [relative risk (RR) = 2.31
for subjects who ate beef > or =3 times/wk compared with
vegetarians], significant protective associations between nut
consumption and fatal and nonfatal IHD in both sexes (RR
approximately 0.5 for subjects who ate nuts > or =5 times/wk
compared with those who ate nuts <1 time/wk), and reduced risk of
IHD in subjects preferring whole-grain to white bread. The
lifetime risk of IHD was reduced by approximately 31% in those
who consumed nuts frequently and by 37% in male vegetarians
compared with nonvegetarians. Cancers of the colon and prostate
were significantly more likely in nonvegetarians (RR of 1.88 and
1.54, respectively), and frequent beef consumers also had higher
risk of bladder cancer. Intake of legumes was negatively
associated with risk of colon cancer in nonvegetarians and risk
of pancreatic cancer. Higher consumption of all fruit or dried
fruit was associated with lower risks of lung, prostate, and
pancreatic cancers. Cross-sectional data suggest vegetarian
Seventh-day Adventists have lower risks of diabetes mellitus,
hypertension, and arthritis than nonvegetarians. Thus, among
Seventh-day Adventists, vegetarians are healthier than
nonvegetarians but this cannot be ascribed only to the absence of
meat.
UI: 99408692
Nutr Cancer 1999;34(2):173-84
Plant foods, antioxidants, and prostate cancer risk: findings
from case-control studies in Canada.
Jain MG, Hislop GT, Howe GR, Ghadirian P
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, ON,
Canada.
Epidemiological data on most cancer sites suggest that
consumption of plant foods, which contain high levels of
antioxidants, might slow or prevent the appearance of cancer. We
used data from three case-control studies to test this
hypothesis. The total study population consisted of 617 incident
cases of prostate cancer and 636 population controls from
Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. Dietary information was
collected by an in-person interview with a detailed quantitative
dietary history. Unconditional logistic regression analyses were
performed to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence
intervals (CIs). A decreasing, statistically significant
association was found with increasing intakes of green vegetables
(OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.40-0.71 for 4th quartile), tomatoes (OR =
0.64, 95% CI = 0.45-0.91), beans/lentils/nuts (OR = 0.69, 95% CI
= 0.53-0.91), and cruciferous vegetables (OR = 0.69, 95% CI =
0.52-0.91 for 3rd quartile). Higher intakes of fruit were
associated with higher ORs (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.14-2.01 for 4th
quartile), an effect that was seen for total fruit and citrus
fruit, as well as for all other noncitrus fruits. Among the
grains, refined-grain bread intake was associated with a decrease
in risk (OR = 0.65 for 4th quartile), whereas whole-grain
breakfast cereals were associated with a higher risk for prostate
cancer. Of all the antioxidant nutrients studied, the ORs were
higher with higher intakes of cryptoxanthin (OR = 1.44, 95% CI =
1.09-1.89 for 4th quartile). Exposure to certain dietary
components of plant origin, which are potentially modifiable,
indicates the theoretical scope for reducing the risk from
prostate cancer. Future experimental studies or trials are
warranted for further understanding.
UI: 20045447
BMJ 1998 Nov 14;317(7169):1341-5
Frequent nut consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in
women: prospective cohort study.
Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, Rimm EB, Colditz GA, Rosner BA,
Speizer FE, Hennekens CH, Willett WC
Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston,
MA 02115, USA. [log in to unmask]
OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation between nut consumption and
risk of coronary heart disease in a cohort of women from the
Nurses' Health Study. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING:
Nurses' Health Study. SUBJECTS: 86 016 women from 34 to 59 years
of age without previously diagnosed coronary heart disease,
stroke, or cancer at baseline in 1980. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Major coronary heart disease including non-fatal myocardial
infarction and fatal coronary heart disease. RESULTS: 1255 major
coronary disease events (861 cases of non-fatal myocardial
infarction and 394 cases of fatal coronary heart disease)
occurred during 14 years of follow up. After adjusting for age,
smoking, and other known risk factors for coronary heart disease,
women who ate more than five units of nuts (one unit equivalent
to 1 oz of nuts) a week (frequent consumption) had a
significantly lower risk of total coronary heart disease
(relative risk 0.65, 95% confidence interval 0.47 to 0.89, P for
trend=0.0009) than women who never ate nuts or who ate less than
one unit a month (rare consumption). The magnitude of risk
reduction was similar for both fatal coronary heart disease
(0.61, 0.35 to 1.05, P for trend=0.007) and non-fatal myocardial
infarction (0.68, 0.47 to 1.00, P for trend=0.04). Further
adjustment for intakes of dietary fats, fibre, vegetables, and
fruits did not alter these results. The inverse association
persisted in subgroups stratified by levels of smoking,use of
alcohol, use of multivitamin and vitamin E supplements, body mass
index, exercise, and intake of vegetables or fruits.
CONCLUSIONS: Frequent nut consumption was associated with a
reduced risk of both fatal coronary heart disease and non-fatal
myocardial infarction. These data, and those from other
epidemiological and clinical studies, support a role for nuts in
reducing the risk of coronary heart disease.
UI: 99030206
Eur J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet 1999 Apr-Jun;24(2):183-9
Tannins, xenobiotic metabolism and cancer chemoprevention in
experimental animals.
Nepka C, Asprodini E, Kouretas D
Cytopathology Laboratory, Serres, Greece.
Tannins are plant polyphenolic compounds that are contained in
large quantities in food and beverages (tea, red wine, nuts,
etc.) consumed by humans daily. It has been shown that various
tannins exert broad cancer chemoprotective activity in a number
of animal models. This review summarizes the recent literature
regarding both the mechanisms involved, and the specific organ
cancer models used in laboratory animals. An increasing body of
evidence demonstrates that tannins act as both anti-initiating
and antipromoting agents. In view of the fact that tannins may be
of valid medicinal efficacy in human clinical trials, the present
review attempts to integrate results from animal studies, and
considers their possible application in humans.
UI: 99440448
Am J Clin Nutr 1999 Sep;70(3 Suppl):434S-438S
Convergence of philosophy and science: the third international
congress on vegetarian nutrition.
Willett WC
Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston,
MA 02115, USA.
Populations of vegetarians living in affluent countries appear to
enjoy unusually good health, characterized by low rates of
cancer, cardiovascular disease, and total mortality. These
important observations have fueled much research and have raised
3 general questions about vegetarians in relation to
nonvegetarians: Are these observations the result of better
nondietary lifestyle factors, such as lower prevalences of
smoking and higher levels of physical activity?; Are they the
result of lower intakes of harmful dietary components, in
particular meat?; and Are they the result of higher intakes of
beneficial dietary components that tend to replace meat in the
diet? Current evidence suggests that the answer to all 3
questions is "Yes." Low smoking rates contribute importantly to
the low rates of cardiovascular disease and many cancers,
probably including colon cancer, in Seventh-day Adventists and
other vegetarian populations. Also, avoidance of red meat is
likely to account in part for low rates of cardiovascular disease
and colon cancer, but this does not appear to be the primary
reason for general good health in these populations. Evidence
accumulated in the past decade emphasizes the importance of
adequate consumption of beneficial dietary factors-rather than
just the avoidance of harmful factors-including an abundance of
fruit, vegetables, and whole grains and regular consumption of
vegetable oils, including those from nuts. Although current
knowledge already provides general guidance toward healthy diets,
accumulated evidence now strongly indicates that diet has a
powerful yet complex effect on health and that further
investigation is needed.
UI: 99408680
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