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Biomedical subjects

Walter Willett

Publications and source records attributed to Walter Willett.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Tooth loss and dietary intake.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported that impaired dentition status is associated with poor nutritional intake. However, most of these studies are cross-sectional and thus are unable to clarify the temporal sequence. METHODS: We assessed the longitudinal relation between tooth loss and changes in consumption of fruits and vegetables and of nutrients important for general health among 31,813 eligible male health professionals. RESULTS: Subjects who lost five or more teeth had a significantly smaller reduction in consumption of dietary cholesterol and vitamin B12, greater reduction in consumption of polyunsaturated fat and smaller increase in consumption of dietary fiber and whole fruit than did subjects who had lost no teeth. Men who had lost teeth also were more likely to stop eating apples, pears and raw carrots. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the temporal association between tooth loss and detrimental changes in dietary intakes, which could contribute to increased risk of developing chronic diseases. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Dietary evaluation and recommendations can be incorporated into dental visits to provide a greater benefit to patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Walking and leisure-time activity and risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal women.

CONTEXT: Physical activity can reduce the risk of hip fractures in older women, although the required type and duration of activity have not been determined. Walking is the most common activity among older adults, and evidence suggests that it can increase femoral bone density and reduce fracture risk. OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship of walking, leisure-time activity, and risk of hip fracture among postmenopausal women. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective analysis begun in 1986 with 12 years of follow-up in the Nurses' Health Study cohort of registered nurses within 11 US states. A total of 61,200 postmenopausal women (aged 40-77 years and 98% white) without diagnosis of cancer, heart disease, stroke, or osteoporosis at baseline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incident hip fracture resulting from low or moderate trauma, analyzed by intensity and duration of leisure-time activity and by time spent walking, sitting, and standing, measured at baseline and updated throughout follow-up. RESULTS: From 1986 to 1998, 415 incident hip fracture cases were identified. After controlling for age, body mass index, use of postmenopausal hormones, smoking, and dietary intakes in proportional hazards models, risk of hip fracture was lowered by 6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4%-9%; P<.001) for each increase of 3 metabolic equivalent (MET)-hours per week of activity (equivalent to 1 h/wk of walking at an average pace). Active women with at least 24 MET-h/wk had a 55% lower risk of hip fracture (relative risk [RR], 0.45; 95% CI, 0.32-0.63) compared with sedentary women with less than 3 MET-h/wk. Even women with a lower risk of hip fracture due to higher body weight experienced a further reduction in risk with higher levels of activity. Risk of hip fracture decreased linearly with increasing level of activity among women not taking postmenopausal hormones (P<.001), but not among women taking hormones (P =.24). Among women who did no other exercise, walking for at least 4 h/wk was associated with a 41% lower risk of hip fracture (RR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.37-0.94) compared with less than 1 h/wk. More time spent standing was also independently associated with lower risks. CONCLUSION: Moderate levels of activity, including walking, are associated with substantially lower risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal women.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Family history of breast cancer, age and benign breast disease.

A major risk factor for breast cancer is having a first-degree family history of the disease. Benign breast disease (BBD), particularly atypical hyperplasia, is also associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. However, the relationship between family history of breast cancer and BBD is unclear. From 1989 through 1997, 80,995 participants in the Nurses' Health Study II were followed; 16,849 reported a first diagnosis of BBD. Pathology slides were reviewed for 1,465 women who reported having a tissue biopsy, and these were classified as nonproliferative BBD, proliferative BBD without atypia or atypical hyperplasia. Women with a family history of breast cancer were more likely to report a physician diagnosis of BBD [rate ratio (RR) = 1.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.29-1.46]. The magnitude of this association declined with age from RR = 1.96 (95% CI 1.55-2.47) at 25-29 years to RR = 1.20 (95% CI 0.95-1.52) at age 45-50 years. Among women with proliferative disease, those with a family history of breast cancer were almost 3 times as likely to have atypia (prevalence odds ratio = 2.72, 95% CI 1.23-5.89) than those with no family history. In conclusion, women with a family history of breast cancer appear to be at increased risk of being diagnosed with BBD, in particular the high-risk types of BBD associated with a greatly increased risk of breast cancer. This link adds weight to the belief that BBD with atypia is a precursor or marker lesion for breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Glycemic index, glycemic load, and risk of type 2 diabetes.

The possibility that high, long-term intake of carbohydrates that are rapidly absorbed as glucose may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes has been a long-standing controversy. Two main mechanisms have been hypothesized, one mediated by increases in insulin resistance and the other by pancreatic exhaustion as a result of the increased demand for insulin. During the past decade, several lines of evidence have collectively provided strong support for a relation between such diets and diabetes incidence. In animals and in short-term human studies, a high intake of carbohydrates with a high glycemic index (a relative measure of the incremental glucose response per gram of carbohydrate) produced greater insulin resistance than did the intake of low-glycemic-index carbohydrates. In large prospective epidemiologic studies, both the glycemic index and the glycemic load (the glycemic index multiplied by the amount of carbohydrate) of the overall diet have been associated with a greater risk of type 2 diabetes in both men and women. Conversely, a higher intake of cereal fiber has been consistently associated with lower diabetes risk. In diabetic patients, evidence from medium-term studies suggests that replacing high-glycemic-index carbohydrates with a low-glycemic-index forms will improve glycemic control and, among persons treated with insulin, will reduce hypoglycemic episodes. These dietary changes, which can be made by replacing products made with white flour and potatoes with whole-grain, minimally refined cereal products, have also been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and can be an appropriate component of recommendations for an overall healthy diet.

Blood Glucose↗