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Effects of rice starch-isoflavone diet or potato starch-isoflavone diet on plasma isoflavone, plasma lipids, cecal enzyme activity, and composition of fecal microflora in adult mice.

The effects of rice starch-isoflavone diet or potato starch-isoflavone diet on plasma concentration of isoflavones, plasma lipids, cecal enzyme activity, and intestinal microflora were studied. Male 15-wk-old mice were fed a rice-starch-based or potato-starch-based diet supplemented with isoflavones for 4 wk, and plasma samples, cecal contents, and feces were collected individually. Plasma equol concentration was significantly higher in the potato-isoflavone diet group than in the rice-isoflavone diet group, but no significant difference was observed in plasma daidzein or genistein concentrations. Plasma total cholesterol concentration was higher in the potato-isoflavone diet group, but no significant difference was observed in plasma triglyceride concentration. Both cecal beta-glucuronidase and beta-glucosidase activities were significantly higher in the rice-isoflavone diet group. The number of bifidobacteria was significantly higher in the potato-isoflavone diet group. These results indicate that different types of starches have different influences on plasma isoflavone and suggest that the influences might be through the change of host physiology and/or the metabolism and composition of intestinal microflora.

Animals↗

Experimental diets for the study of lipid influence on the induced mammary carcinoma in rats: I--Diet definition.

There is a considerable variation in the diets used in studies on the influence of dietary fat on rat mammary cancer. In view of the fact that diet is the most remarkable factor in these studies, the aim of this work was to define two experimental diets, one of them normal (N3) and another hyperlipidic (HL20), both allowing the normal growth of the rat and neither of them containing factors that could unspecifically affect mammary carcinogenesis. Semisynthetic diets were selected instead of natural ones. A normal diet (3% corn oil, 18% casein, 67.9% dextrose) and a hyperlipidic diet (20% corn oil, 23% casein, 45.9% dextrose) were defined for the rat. Both diets also contain 5% cellulose, 5.9% salt mix and 0.24% vitamin mix. In order to avoid the influence of the above mentioned unspecific factors, the control of specificity and quality of nutrients is proposed as an essential measure. Moreover, it is also necessary to adopt measures to avoid the presence of fatty acid metabolites, including the calculation of the necessary vitamin E, selenium and sulfur amino acid and the determination of factors potentially able to stimulate or inhibit carcinogenesis such as phenolic antioxidants, retinoids or the trans isomer of fatty acids. On the other had, casein, dextrose, choline and folic acid contents were modified in order to equilibrate the lipid increase experimentally introduced in the HL20 diet or to ensure the normal maintenance of the animals' metabolism. The method used is based on the concept of quality assurance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animal Feed↗

Low-carbohydrate diets cause obesity, low-carbohydrate diets reverse obesity: a metabolic mechanism resolving the paradox.

High-fat diets produce obesity in part because, per calorie, glucose produces greater post-prandial thermogenesis than lipids, an effect probably mediated by glucose-sensing neurons. A very low-carbohydrate/high-fat/high-protein Atkins-type diet produces obesity but is marginally ketogenic in mice. In contrast, high-sucrose/low-fat diets, and very low-carbohydrate/high-fat/low-protein (anti-epileptic) ketogenic diets reverse diet-induced obesity independent of caloric intake. We propose that a non-ketogenic high-fat diet reduces glucose metabolism and signaling in glucose-sensing neurons, thereby reducing post-prandial thermogenesis, and that a ketogenic high-fat diet does not reduce glucose signaling, thereby preventing and/or reversing obesity.

Blood Glucose↗

The Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I): is it a useful tool to evaluate the quality of the Mediterranean diet?

The aim of this study was to assess whether the recently developed Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I) could be used to evaluate diet quality of a Mediterranean population. A cross-sectional nutritional survey was carried out in the Balearic Islands (Spain) between 1999 and 2000. Dietary information (replicated 24 h recall and a food frequency questionnaire), and socio-demographic and lifestyle data were collected from a representative sample of the population (n 1200: 498 males and 702 females) aged 16-65 years (response rate 77.22 %). The DQI-I was developed according to the method defined by Kim et al. (2003), and focused on four major aspects of a high-quality diet (variety, adequacy, moderation and overall balance). The percentage of adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) was also calculated and correlation analysis was carried out between the DQI-I score and the percentage of adherence to the MDP. The total score of the DQI-I reached 43 % of the possible score, indicating that the Balearic diet was a poor-quality diet. Correlation analysis between the DQI-I scores and adherence to the MDP showed that the DQI-I subcategories protein, iron and calcium adequacy were negatively correlated with the MDP. Furthermore, moderation in empty calorie food consumption and overall balance subcategories were not significantly correlated with the MDP. Due to some methodological factors and cultural biases, the proposed DQI-I scoring system is not useful to evaluate the quality of this Mediterranean-type diet. Further research is needed to develop a new diet quality index adapted to the MDP.

Adolescent↗

Change from mixed diet to lactovegetarian diet: influence on IgA levels in blood and saliva.

IgA concentrations in human plasma, and whole and parotid saliva were measured before and 3 months after a shift to a lactovegetarian diet in 20 volunteers (four men and 16 women mean age 44 yr, range 27-61). The major dietary trends observed were an increased intake of berries and other fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, and a decreased intake of fish, eggs, and meat; biscuits and buns; sweets; alcoholic beverages; coffee; and tea. The consumption of meat, fish, and eggs decreased to zero, showing that the participants had adopted a lacto-vegetarian diet. There was a decrease in fat, protein, sucrose, and alcohol intake and an increase in total carbohydrate and fiber intake. There was no significant change in energy, retinol equivalent, or zinc intake. Despite this change in diet, no significant changes were observed between the mixed diet period and the vegetarian diet period in IgA in plasma, 253 +/- 52 and 264 +/- 55; whole saliva, 2.5 +/- 0.4 and 2.4 +/- 0.4; or parotid saliva, 0.88 +/- 0.22 and 0.90 +/- 0.20 (mg/100 ml, mean values, 95% confidence interval). Moreover, the diet change did not alter the secretion rate in whole and parotid saliva, the secretion rate of IgA in whole and parotid saliva, or the protein content of whole saliva. However, the protein content of parotid saliva increased significantly. Thus, this major diet change was apparently not drastic enough or sustained long enough to cause a change in IgA levels.

Adult↗

The effects of a low-fat/high-fiber diet on sex hormone levels and menstrual cycling in premenopausal women: a 12-month randomized trial (the diet and hormone study).

BACKGROUND: Reduction of cumulative exposure to endogenous ovarian steroid hormones is a postulated method for reducing the risk of carcinoma of the breast and other malignancies. Although there are data from trials evaluating the effect of low-fat and high-fiber diets on sex hormone levels in premenopausal women, to the authors' knowledge none of these trials has combined a relatively large number of participants, follow-up of > 2-3 months, parallel controls receiving a usual diet, and careful timing of blood sampling within the menstrual cycle. METHODS: A total of 213 healthy women, ages 20-40 years, were randomly assigned to follow their usual diet or to adopt an isocaloric diet with goals of 20% calories as fat, total fiber of 25 g/day, and at least 8 fruit or vegetable servings per day. Serum levels of total estradiol (E2), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), non-SHBG-bound estradiol (NSBE2), SHBG, and progesterone were evaluated during a menstrual cycle at baseline, and at 4 cycles (C4) and 12 cycles (C12) after the start of the intervention. Serum was collected during each test cycle 7-9 days after the detection of an luteinizing hormone peak in the urine. One hundred eighty-nine women provided serum at C4 and 176 women at C12. RESULTS: Serum E2 decreased by an average of 7.5% or 7.8 pg/mL (95% confidence interval [95% CI], -16.0-0.04) at C12 in the intervention group, versus a decrease of 0.9% or 0.9 pg/mL (95% CI, -9.5-7.7) in the control group (the P value for the difference between the treatment groups was 0.25). Results for NSBE2 were very similar to those for total estradiol. There were no material effects found to result from intervention with regard to SHBG or progesterone. The results did not differ by baseline age, body mass index, or baseline hormone level above or below the median, and were not likely to be affected by weight change, which amounted to a mean loss of only 0.23 kg in the diet group versus a gain of 0.17 kg in the control group. The decrease in serum E2 associated with intervention was not greater when subjects were stratified by self-reported adherence to the dietary goals. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study suggest that the effects of this isocaloric low-fat, high-fiber diet pattern on circulating ovarian steroids were modest or nonexistent. However, the observed 7.5% reduction in estradiol could have biologic significance if it persisted over many years. Moreover, underestimation of the true dietary effect could have occurred because of incomplete adherence to assigned diets. Weight loss and weight control through midlife could be a more effective and feasible approach to dietary intervention in reducing the risk of breast carcinoma.

Adult↗

PCB congener patterns in rats consuming diets containing Great Lakes salmon: analysis of fish, diets, and adipose tissue.

As part of a multidisciplinary toxicological investigation into Great Lakes contaminants, chinook salmon were collected from Lake Huron (LH) and Lake Ontario (LO) and incorporated (as lyophilized fillets) into standard rat diets as 20 or 100% of the protein complement (5 or 20%, w/w diet-LH5, LH20, LO5, and LO20 diets). Final PCB concentrations in the experiment ranged from 3.15 ng/g in the control diet to 1080 ng/g in the high-dose (20%) LO diet, with maximal estimated daily consumption by the rats of 82microg PCBs/kg body wt in the LO20 dietary group. Seventeen PCB congeners, PCB 85, 99, 101, 105, 110, 118, 128, 129, 132, 138, 149, 153, 170, 177, 180, 187, and 199, occurred at >/=3.0% of the total PCBs in the fish with no major site differences. Cumulatively, these 17 congeners accounted for up to 75% of the total PCBs in the fish compared to 44 and 54% in two commercial Aroclors, 1254 and 1260, respectively. PCB 77 was the major "dioxin-like" congener in the fish, followed by PCB 126 and then PCB 169. All major dietary congeners bioaccumulated in the adipose tissue of the rats with the exception of PCB congeners 101, 110, 132, and 149. The group of 17 major congeners accounted for up to 71% of the total PCBs in adipose tissue samples collected from the rats following up to 19 weeks of diet ingestion. Of the coplanar PCB congeners, PCB 77 appeared to bioaccumulate to a lesser extent compared to PCBs 126 and 169. When comparing PCBs in the rat adipose tissue to PCB congeners in Canadian breast milk, PCBs 44, 49, 74, and 137 tended to occur in higher amounts in the human samples (contributing together 18.4 vs. 1.4% of the total PCB concentration), whereas PCB 129 occurred at higher levels in the rats (3.4 vs. 0.3% of the total PCB concentration, respectively). Although adipose tissue from the rats fed diets containing Great Lakes salmon had up to two orders of magnitude higher concentrations of PCBs compared to average human values, with the exception of some lower chlorinated congeners, similar major congeners tended to be present in both the rats in the present study and humans.

Adipose Tissue↗

8-OH-DPAT elicits feeding and not chewing: evidence from liquid diet studies and a diet choice test.

There have been recent claims that the 5-HT1A agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) elicits chewing and eating of solid but not liquid foods. Therefore, the effects of 8-OH-DPAT and another 5-HT1A agonist gepirone on the consumption of a liquid chow diet, by free feeding male rats, were examined. Both drugs produced a dose-dependent increase in the consumption of liquid diet during a 2 h test. The doses of 8-OH-DPAT and gepirone which increased liquid diet intake in this study were in the same range as those which were found previously to increase food pellet consumption by free feeding rats. The effects of 8-OH-DPAT were also examined in a feeding choice test in which free feeding animals were allowed to choose between food pellets and a liquid chow diet. In this test, 8-OH-DPAT significantly increased total food intake (liquid plus pellet) but had no significant effect on the consumption of either liquid or pellet diets when analysed separately. Thus, there were large individual differences in diet choice after 8-OH-DPAT injection. However, rats did not consistently choose to eat food pellets rather than the liquid diet, as would be predicted if the drug elicited chewing rather than eating. These results provide strong evidence that 8-OH-DPAT elicits a behaviourally specific hyperphagia and not chewing or gnawing.

8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin↗

Interaction of diet and toxicity--the future role of purified diet in toxicological research.

There is a growing awareness of the importance of diet as a determinant of the toxicity of many compounds. This paper briefly reviews some of the ways in which diet affects toxicity, and draws some conclusions regarding the ideal diet for toxicological investigations. Then the two competing types of diet, stock and purified (including those frequently called semi-synthetic and semi-purified), are described and their characteristic strengths and weaknesses are discussed. Stock diets are very variable commodities, may be nutritionally poorly balanced, and also contain many non-nutritive components that influence toxicity. The formulation and preparation of purified diet are discussed. It is concluded that investigations of the mechanisms of toxicity, as well as studies of absorption, distribution and metabolism of toxic compounds, could benefit from the use of well-defined purified diets.

Animal Feed↗

Diet only or diet and sulfonylureas in mild type II diabetes (NIDDM)? Pathophysiologic and therapeutic implications.

UNLABELLED: Plasma glucose, insulin and C-peptide responses to a test meal were studied in 7 nonobese patients with type II diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) treated with diet alone and after 6 months of gliclazide therapy, as well as in 6 matched controls. The glycemic levels were significantly higher (p less than 0.05) in patients under diet alone than in controls and after gliclazide treatment (peak: 12.8 +/- 1.0; 7.9 +/- 0.4 and 10.0 +/- 0.5 mmol/l, respectively; means +/- SEM). Diet and gliclazide treated patients showed a reduced B-cell response during the first hour after the meal as indicated by insulin and C-peptide values and areas (insulin areas 0-60 min: controls 57.9 +/- 10.9; p less than 0.01 vs diet alone 14.2 +/- 2.7 and vs gliclazide 22.1 +/- 2.8 microU/ml/min). The hypoinsulinemic phase lasted from 20 to 60 min before gliclazide, and from 20 to 45 min after gliclazide. The first significant C-peptide increase, detected at 10 min in controls and at 30 min under diet alone, was advanced to 15 min after gliclazide treatment. IN CONCLUSION: patients with mild, diet-treated NIDDM show a sluggish and attenuated B-cell response to a physiologic challenge (test meal); this secretory impairment is present even after a complete post-prandial glycemic normalization, supporting the idea of a persistent defect. Nevertheless, the slight improvement observed in insulin secretion after gliclazide treatment may be promoting, at least partially, the normalization of prandial hyperglycemia. The benefits of this normalization in diabetic patients previously controlled by diet only await further investigation.

Aged↗

Effects of diet and lifestyle changes on atherosclerotic risk factors after 24 weeks on the Indian Diet Heart Study.

In a randomized, single-blind, controlled trial, 621 patients were assigned either intervention diet A (group A, 310 patients) or control diet B (group B, 311 patients) for a period of 24 weeks. After 24 weeks as revealed by dietary questionnaires, group A patients received: (1) a diet with a higher percentage of calories from fruits and vegetables and complex carbohydrates; (2) a higher polyunsaturated/saturated fat ratio diet; and (3) a larger amount of soluble dietary fiber, antioxidant vitamins and minerals and low saturated fat and cholesterol than group B. Group A patients also did more physical and yogic exercises than group B. Adherence to diet and exercise was obtained through questionnaires and information obtained was quantified into a formula. After 24 weeks, the overall score of diet and exercises was significantly higher in group A than in group B. There was a significant decrease in serum total cholesterol (13.3%), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (16.9%), triglycerides (19.2%), fasting blood glucose (19.5%) and blood pressures (11.5/6.2 mm Hg) in the intervention group compared with initial levels and changes in group B. The effect of exercise on the decrease in risk factors was additive. Within group A, overall score for diet and exercise was greater in 1 subset of 116 patients in the intervention group which had maximal lifestyle changes. A separate analysis of data in this subgroup revealed a greater decrease in risk factors compared with risk factor changes in the remaining 194 patients with less higher overall score; this indicated that the relation of lifestyle changes with reduction in risk factors may be of causal nature.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Estimated phytochemical content of the dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) diet is higher than in the Control Study Diet.

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet substantially lowers blood pressure and reduces blood lipid levels. The DASH diet menus were designed to reach beneficial levels of fiber, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, and therefore contain more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains relative to the control menus, and consequently more phytochemicals. Using the US Department of Agriculture food composition databases, the polyphenol, carotenoid, and phytosterol contents of the diets used in the DASH study were estimated. When compared with the control diet, the DASH diet is higher in flavonols, flavanones, flavan-3-ols, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein+zeaxanthin, and phytosterols. Flavone levels are similar, whereas isoflavones are present in a small amount in the DASH diet. The roles of these compounds in disease risk reduction are becoming recognized. It therefore is possible that the health benefits of the DASH diet are partially attributable to the phytochemicals and might extend beyond cardiovascular disease risk reduction.

Blood Pressure↗

Influences of apolipoprotein E polymorphism on the response of plasma lipids to the ad libitum consumption of a high-carbohydrate diet compared with a high-monounsaturated fatty acid diet.

The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of the apolipoprotein E (apoE) polymorphism and factors, such as age and waist circumference, to variations in plasma low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) response following ad libitum consumption of a diet rich in complex carbohydrates (high-CHO: 58% of energy as CHO) versus a diet rich in fat and monounsaturated fatty acids (high-MUFA: fat, 40% of energy and 22% as MUFA). Sixty-five men participated in this parallel 6- to 7-week study involving either a high-CHO or a high-MUFA diet. Fasting plasma lipid profile and anthropometry were determined at the beginning and at the end of the dietary period. The high-CHO and high-MUFA diets both induced significant (P<.01) and comparable reductions in body weight and waist circumference. These changes were associated with a significant (P<.01) and comparable decrease in LDL-C (-19% and -16%, respectively). Stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that 32% of the variation in the LDL-C response to the high-CHO diet was attributable to the apoE polymorphism (18.5%, P=.04) and waist circumference (13.5%, P=.03) indicating that men with a waist circumference greater than 100 cm and the E2 allele had the greatest reduction in plasma LDL-C after the high-CHO diet. On the other hand, in the high-MUFA group, waist circumference was the only significant contributing factor to the LDL-C response and accounted for 44.5% of its variance. In conclusion, the plasma LDL-C response to ad libitum comsumption of a high-CHO and a high-MUFA diets are not modulated to the same extent by the apoE polymorphism and waist circumference.

Adult↗

Determinants of diet glycemic index calculated retrospectively from diet records of 342 individuals with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Controlled trials have shown that a diet with a low glycemic index improves blood glucose and lipid control in patients with diabetes. To study the distribution and determinants of diet glycemic index, we obtained two 3-d diet records from 342 free-living subjects with non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Mean +/- SD 24-h intakes were as follows: energy, 7170 +/- 1890 kJ; fat, 33.6 +/- 6.5% of energy; protein, 20.1 +/- 3.2% of energy; available carbohydrate, 45.3 +/- 7.2% of energy; and dietary fiber, 17.2 +/- 6.4 g. Diet glycemic index values (85.4 +/- 4.55, range, 70-97.8) were normally distributed. Diet glycemic index was inversely associated with intake of simple sugars, whether expressed in grams (r = -0.426), percent of energy (r = -0.446), or percent of carbohydrate (r = -0.453, P < 0.001). By step-wise-multiple-linear regression, grams carbohydrate and percent protein were also independently related to diet glycemic index. Differences in diet glycemic index between men and women, and between subjects on different types of diabetes therapy were explained by differences in intake of simple sugars.

Blood Glucose↗

Linear and nonlinear programming to optimize the nutrient density of a population's diet: an example based on diets of preschool children in rural Malawi.

BACKGROUND: Food consumption surveys are often used to detect inadequate nutrient intakes but not to determine whether inadequate nutrient intakes are due to suboptimal use of locally available foods or to insufficient availability of nutrient-dense foods. OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to describe the use of linear programming as a method to design nutrient-adequate diets of optimal nutrient density and to identify the most stringent constraints in nutritional recommendations and food consumption patterns in a population's diet. DESIGN: This analysis was conducted with the use of food consumption data collected during 2 seasons from rural Malawian children aged 3-6 y. Linear programming was used to select diets based on local foods that satisfied a set of nutritional constraints while minimizing the total energy content of the diet. Additional constraints on daily intakes of foods and food groups were also introduced to ensure that the diets were compatible with local food patterns. The strength of the constraints was assessed by analyzing nonlinear programming sensitivity. RESULTS: In the harvest season, it was possible to satisfy nutritional recommendations with little departure from the local diet. In the nonharvest season, nutritional adequacy was impaired by the low availability of riboflavin- and zinc-rich animal or vegetable foods and by the high phytate content of other foods. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis suggests that nutrition education may help improve the diets of children in the harvest season, whereas changes in the range of available foods might be needed in the nonharvest season. Linear and nonlinear programming can be used to formulate recommendations with the use of data from local food consumption surveys.

Child↗

Further nutritional characterization of dorsomedial hypothalamic hypophagia in rats: diet consistency, finickiness, self-selection of diets, starvation and realimentation and "stress eating".

Young-mature male Sprague-Dawley rats received bilateral lesions in the dorsomedial hypothalamic nuclei (DMNL); sham-operated rats served as controls. After 30 days of a pelleted commercial laboratory diet, they received a powdered lab diet for 10 days. Both groups of rats reduced food intake for the duration of the test. Thus, although grossly hypophagic under ad libitum feeding conditions, DMNL do not impair adaptation to a diet of different consistency. Both DMNL and controls were significantly hypophagic when fed a quinine-adulterated powdered diet, but only on the first of a 9-day regimen. Thus, they show only transitory finickiness. During a 16-day self-selection test with three equicaloric diets with different amounts of the three macronutrients in each (HCD: high carbohydrate, HFD: high fat, and HPD: high protein diet), DMNL rats ate in absolute terms (g/day) the same amount of HCD, significantly less HFD and during two of seven measuring periods, significantly less HPD. However, their intake in percent of total consumption was similar to that of the controls., After a 48-hour fast, DMNL rats lost and regained body though these rats showed hypophagia during the 48-hour realimentation period, their efficiency of food utilization was similar to the controls. Thus, DMNL rats have not lost the capacity to regulate body weight and food intake after fast-induced weight loss. During eight tail pinch (TP) sessions (11 days), DMNL rats were hyperphagic and preferred HCD and HFD in comparison with controls. In their home cages (lab diet) DMNL rats were hypophagic and over 11 days showed a decline in food intake while the controls displayed an increase. In contrast to previous findings, the challenges of the present study unmasked some deficits in energy homeostasis in the DMNL rat.

Animals↗

Components of the AIN-93 diets as improvements in the AIN-76A diet.

The AIN-93 rodent diets were formulated to substitute for the previous version (AIN-76A) and to improve the performance of animals that consume them. They are called AIN-93G, formulated for growth, and AIN-93M, for maintenance. Major changes included substituting cornstarch for sucrose and soybean oil for corn oil and increasing the amount in order to supply both essential fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic). L-Cystine was substituted for DL-methionine to supplement the casein component. The mineral mix was reformulated to lower the amounts of phosphorus, manganese and chromium, to increase the amount of selenium, and to add molybdenum, silicon, fluoride, nickel, boron, lithium and vanadium. The amounts of vitamins E, K-1 and B-12 were increased over those in the AIN-76A vitamin mix. The AIN-93G diet contains 200 g of casein and 70 g of soybean oil/kg diet. The maintenance diet (AIN-93M) contains 140 g of casein and 40 g of soybean oil/kg diet. The 1993 diets have a better balance of essential nutrients than the 1976 diet and are better choices for studies with laboratory rodents.

Animal Feed↗

The Mediterranean diets: What is so special about the diet of Greece? The scientific evidence.

The term "Mediterranean diet," implying that all Mediterranean people have the same diet, is a misnomer. The countries around the Mediterranean basin have different diets, religions and cultures. Their diets differ in the amount of total fat, olive oil, type of meat and wine intake; milk vs. cheese; fruits and vegetables; and the rates of coronary heart disease and cancer, with the lower death rates and longer life expectancy occurring in Greece. Extensive studies on the traditional diet of Greece (the diet before 1960) indicate that the dietary pattern of Greeks consists of a high intake of fruits, vegetables (particularly wild plants), nuts and cereals mostly in the form of sourdough bread rather than pasta; more olive oil and olives; less milk but more cheese; more fish; less meat; and moderate amounts of wine, more so than other Mediterranean countries. Analyses of the dietary pattern of the diet of Crete shows a number of protective substances, such as selenium, glutathione, a balanced ratio of (n-6):(n-3) essential fatty acids (EFA), high amounts of fiber, antioxidants (especially resveratrol from wine and polyphenols from olive oil), vitamins E and C, some of which have been shown to be associated with lower risk of cancer, including cancer of the breast. These findings should serve as a strong incentive for the initiation of intervention trials that will test the effect of specific dietary patterns in the prevention and management of patients with cancer.

Animals↗