The use of dietary supplements has increased substantially in most industrialized countries. The aim of this study was to prospectively examine the association between use of dietary supplements and all-cause mortality, cancer mortality and CVD mortality in men. We used the population-based prospective cohort of 38 994 men from central Sweden, 45–79 years of age, with no cancer or CVD at baseline and who completed a self-administered FFQ including questions on dietary supplement use and life-style factors in 1997. During average 7.7 years of follow-up, 3403 deaths were ascertained; among them, 771 due to cancer and 930 due to CVD (during 5.9 years of follow-up). In multivariate adjusted models including all men there was no association observed between use of any dietary supplement or of multivitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E or fish oil specifically and all-cause mortality, cancer or CVD mortality. Among current smokers, regular use of any supplement was associated with statistically significant increased risk of cancer mortality: relative risk (RR) 1·46 (95 % CI 1·06, 1·99). Among men reporting an inadequate diet at baseline (assessed by Recommended Food Score), there was a statistically significant inverse association between use of any dietary supplement and CVD mortality (RR 0·72; 95 % CI 0·57, 0·91), no associations were observed among men with adequate diets. In conclusion, we cannot exclude that the use of dietary supplements is harmful for smokers. On the other hand, among men with an insufficient diet, the use of supplements might be beneficial in reducing CVD mortality.

Diet is a major aspect of glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes, particularly among the elderly. The objective of this study was to describe the food habits of elderly diabetic subjects compared with non-diabetic ones and to examine the difference between their nutritional behaviour and nutritional recommendations. This study was based on the Three City (3C) community-based cohort. The food habits of 1336 participants aged 65 or over, including 149 diabetic subjects, were evaluated using a FFQ and a 24 h recall of food consumption. For both sexes, intake of carbohydrates was lower for diabetic compared to non-diabetic subjects, essentially due to a lower intake of mono-/disaccharides. For diabetic men, this was compensated for by a higher intake of protein whereas women had a lower energy intake overall. Fibre intake was also higher in diabetic men. There was no absolute increase in fats intake, neither for men nor for women, and distribution of subtypes of fats (saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) did not differ between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Carbohydrates provided 40·5 % of energy intake in diabetic men and 43·9 % in diabetic women. Contrary to nutritional recommendations for diabetic subjects, for approximately two-thirds of the diabetic subjects carbohydrates represented less than 45 % of daily energy intake. Although food habits of elderly diabetic subjects differed from those of non-diabetic ones, these habits are not totally in line with nutritional recommendations. These results should be taken into account to adapt nutritional advice given to the diabetic population.

Although many epidemiological studies have examined the association of dietary glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) with health outcomes, information on the reproducibility and relative validity of these variables estimated from dietary questionnaires is extremely limited. We examined the reproducibility and relative validity of dietary GI and GL assessed with a self-administered diet-history questionnaire (DHQ) in adult Japanese. A total of ninety-two Japanese women and ninety-two Japanese men aged 31–76 years completed the DHQ (assessing diet during the preceding month) and 4 d dietary records (DR) in each season over a 1-year period (DHQ1–4 and DR1–4, respectively) and the DHQ at 1 year after completing DHQ1 (DHQ5). We used intraclass correlations between DHQ1 and DHQ5 to assess reproducibility, and Pearson correlations between the mean of DR1–4 and mean of DHQ1–4 and between the mean of DR1–4 and DHQ1 to assess relative validity. Reproducibility correlations for dietary GI and GL were 0·57 and 0·69 among women and 0·65 and 0·58 among men, respectively. Validity correlations for dietary GI and GL assessed by DHQ1–4 were 0·72 and 0·66 among women and 0·65 and 0·71 among men, respectively. Corresponding correlations for DHQ1 were 0·53 and 0·58 among women and 0·57 and 0·60 among men, respectively. White rice was the major contributor to GI and GL in both methods (49–64 %). These data indicate reasonable reproducibility and relative validity of dietary GI and GL assessed by a DHQ for Japanese adults, whose dietary GI and GL are primarily determined by the GI of white rice.

The WHO recommends limiting non-milk extrinsic sugars (NMES) consumption to ≤ 10 % energy to reduce the risk of unhealthy weight gain and dental caries, and to restrict frequency of intake to ≤ 4 times/d to reduce risk of dental caries. Older adults, especially those from low-income backgrounds, are at increased risk of dental caries, yet there is little information on sugars intake (frequency of intake and food sources) in this age group. The aim of this report is to present baseline data from a community-based dietary intervention study of older adults from socially deprived areas of North East England, on the quantity and sources of total sugars, NMES, and intrinsic and milk sugars, and on frequency of NMES intake. Dietary intake was assessed using two 3-d estimated food diaries, completed by 201 participants (170 female, thirty-one male) aged 65–85 years (mean 76·7 (sd 5·5) years) recruited from sheltered housing schemes. Total sugars represented 19·6 %, NMES 9·3 %, and intrinsic and milk sugars 10·3 % of daily energy intake. Eighty-one (40·3 %) exceeded the NMES intake recommendation. Mean frequency of NMES intake was 3·4 times/d. The fifty-three participants (26·4 %) who exceeded the frequency recommendation ( ≤ 4 times/d) obtained a significantly greater percentage of energy from NMES compared with those participants who met the recommendation. The food groups ‘biscuits and cakes’ (18·9 %), ‘soft drinks’ (13·1 %) and ‘table sugar’ (11·1 %) made the greatest contributions to intakes of NMES. Interventions to reduce NMES intake should focus on limiting quantity and frequency of intake of these food groups.

Epidemiological data suggest that a diet rich in animal foods may be associated with an increased risk of several cancers, including cancers of the prostate, colorectum and breast, but the possible mechanism is unclear. It is hypothesised that phytanic acid, a C20 branched-chain fatty acid found predominantly in foods from ruminant animals, may be involved in early cancer development because it has been shown to up regulate activity of α-methylacyl-coenzyme A racemase, an enzyme commonly found to be over-expressed in tumour cells compared with normal tissue. However, little is known about the distribution of plasma phytanic acid concentrations or its dietary determinants in the general population. The primary aim of the present cross-sectional study was to determine circulating phytanic acid concentrations among ninety-six meat-eating, lacto-ovo-vegetarian and vegan women, aged 20–69 years, recruited into the Oxford component of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Oxford). Meat-eaters had, on average, a 6.7-fold higher geometric mean plasma phytanic acid concentration than the vegans (5·77 v. 0·86 μmol/l; P < 0·0001) and a 47 % higher mean concentration than the vegetarians (5·77 v. 3·93 μmol/l; P = 0·016). The strongest determinant of plasma phytanic acid concentration appeared to be dairy fat intake (r 0·68; P < 0·0001); phytanic acid levels were not associated with age or other lifestyle factors. These data show that a diet high in fat from dairy products is associated with increased plasma phytanic acid concentration, which may play a role in cancer development.

Currently, there is no FFQ designed to capture the intakes of the long-chain (LC) n-3 PUFA. The objectives of this study were to validate a new LC n-3 PUFA FFQ by comparison with 3 d weighed food records (FR) and to determine its reproducibility assessed 4 to 6 weeks apart. Healthy male and female subjects (n 53) were recruited from Wollongong and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The FFQ and FR were analysed for LC n-3 PUFA intakes using a nutrient analysis software package and these intakes were compared using Wilcoxon signed rank tests and Spearman correlation coefficients. Bland–Altman analysis and quintile assignment assessed the agreement between the two methods and the FFQ's ability to rank individuals according to intakes, respectively. Comparison of intakes from FFQ and FR correlated significantly for total LC n-3 PUFA, EPA, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and DHA, 0·75, 0·64, 0·62 and 0·72, respectively (P < 0·05); hence, there is reasonable agreement between the FFQ and the FR in assessing LC n-3 PUFA intakes. Quintile assignments correctly assigned 49 % of subjects into the same quintiles and 87 % of subjects were correctly assigned either to the same or adjacent quintiles. The FFQ was reproducible for intakes of LC n-3 PUFA, EPA, DPA and DHA with Spearman correlation coefficients of 0·88, 0·88, 0·90 and 0·87, respectively. In conclusion, the new FFQ is a valid and reproducible method that can be used to estimate the LC n-3 PUFA intake of healthy adults.

Little is known about the aetiology of brain tumours. One putative factor suggested from animal models is a protective effect of dietary Zn. We tested the hypothesis that increased compared with low dietary Zn intake is protective against brain tumour development. We conducted a population-based case–control study in the UK, of adults aged 18–69 years, between 2001 and 2004 aiming to identify possible risk factors. Dietary information was collected from 637 cases diagnosed with a glioma or meningioma, and 876 controls. Data were obtained from a self-completed FFQ. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted, adjusting for socio-demographic factors, season of questionnaire return, multivitamin supplementation and energy intake. Although a weak protective effect was observed for the third quartile of intake (normal compared with low intake) in the meningioma group, this was limited to the specific brain tumour subtype and quartile, and was not significant after also adjusting for intake of other elements. Overall there was no significant effect of Zn intake. No association or dose–response relationship was observed between increased compared with low Zn intake and risk of glioma or meningioma.

Epidemiological data suggest that fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with a lowered risk of CVD. We assessed the association between the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery and dietary intake of vegetables, fruit and berries in elderly men with a high risk of CVD. Subjects (age 70 ±  5 years) were survivors from a cohort of 1232 men that participated in the Oslo Diet and Antismoking Study in 1972–3.Measurements of the carotid IMT by high resolution B-mode ultrasound, risk factor assessment and dietary data based on an FFQ were collected in 1997–9.Complete dietary and ultrasound data were available for 547 subjects. The carotid IMT in the highest quartile of dietary intake of fruit and berries was 0·89 (se 0·18) mm compared with 0·96 (se 0·25) mm in the lowest quartile, giving a mean difference of 0·075 (se 0·027) mm (P = 0·033). In multivariate regression analysis increased intake of fruit and berries remained inversely associated with IMT after adjustment for age, cigarette smoking, dietary cholesterol and saturated fat, consumption of milk, cream and ice cream and energy intake (multivariate regression coefficient 0·257; R2 0·066; se 0·209; P < 0·001). The difference of 348 g of fruit and berries per d between the lowest and highest quartile of intake was associated with a 5·5 % adjusted difference in mean IMT. These findings suggest that consumption of fruit and berries may be protective against carotid atherosclerosis in elderly men at high risk of CVD.

Energy utilization in broilers as influenced by supplementation of enzymes containing phytase or carbohydrase activities was investigated. Day-old male broilers (480) were allocated to four slaughter groups, thirty broilers in the initial slaughter group and 150 broilers in each of the final slaughter groups on days 7, 14 and 21. Broilers in each of the final slaughter groups were allocated to five treatments in a randomized complete block design, each treatment had six replicate cages of five broilers per replicate cage. The diets were maize–soyabean based with wheat as a source of NSP. The treatments were: (1) positive control that met nutrient requirements of the day-old broiler chick; (2) negative control (NC) deficient in metabolizable energy and P; (3) NC plus phytase added at 1000 FTU/kg; (4) NC plus cocktail of xylanase, amylase and protease (XAP); and (5) NC plus phytase and XAP. Gain and gain:food were depressed (P < 0·05) in the NC diet. Phytase improved (P < 0·05) gain at all ages and gain:food at days 0–14 and days 0–21. There was improvement (P < 0·01) in net energy for production, energy retained as fat and protein from days 0 to 14 and from days 0 to 21 in phytase-supplemented diet compared with the NC diet. Net energy for production was more highly correlated with performance criteria than metabolizable energy and may be a more sensitive energy utilization response criterion to use in evaluating broiler response to enzyme supplementation.

Concerning the effects of oat and barley β-glucan and molecular weight on blood lipids

Both Wood and Tosh and the editorial that accompanied the original paper raise important issues regarding the characteristics of soluble fibres that affect their efficacy in reducing cholesterol and CVD risk.