BackgroundDietary fibers have been proposed to play a role in cardiovascular risk as well as body weight management. Flaxseeds are a good source of dietary fibers, and a large proportion of these are water-soluble viscous fibers.MethodHere, we examine the effect of flaxseed dietary fibers in different food matrices on blood lipids and fecal excretion of fat and energy in a double-blind randomized crossover study with 17 subjects. Three different 7-d diets were tested: a low-fiber control diet (Control), a diet with flaxseed fiber drink (3/day) (Flax drink), and a diet with flaxseed fiber bread (3/day) (Flax bread). Total fat and energy excretion was measured in feces, blood samples were collected before and after each period, and appetite sensation registered 3 times daily before main meals.ResultsCompared to control, Flax drink lowered fasting total-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol by 12 and 15%, respectively, (p < 0.01), whereas Flax bread only produced a reduction of 7 and 9%, respectively (p < 0.05). Fecal fat and energy excretion increased by 50 and 23% with Flax drink consumption compared to control (p < 0.05), but only fecal fat excretion was increased with Flax bread compared to control (p < 0.05).ConclusionBoth Flax drink and Flax bread resulted in decreased plasma total and LDL-cholesterol and increased fat excretion, but the food matrix and/or processing may be of importance. Viscous flaxseed dietary fibers may be a useful tool for lowering blood cholesterol and potentially play a role in energy balance.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00953004

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BMI tracking was weaker at late adult ages than at young adult ages. Although BMI tracks across the life course, childhood BMI is relatively poor at identifying later adult overweight or obesity at ages when chronic diseases generally emerge.

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Background: Body size in adult life is likely associated with risks of endometriosis and adenomyosis, yet little is known about associations with body size earlier in life. Aim:To examine whether birth weight, childhood body mass index (BMI), and height are associated with risks of endometriosis and adenomyosis. Subjects and Methods:From the Copenhagen School Health Records Register 171,362 girls, born 1930-1996, with measured weights and heights at ages 7-13 were included. Outcomes were obtained from health registers. Cox regressions were performed to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).Results: During follow-up, 2149 endometriosis cases and 1410 adenomyosis cases were diagnosed. Childhood BMI was inversely associated with endometriosis (HR=0.92 [95% CI: 0.88-0.96] per z-score at age 7). In contrast, childhood height was positively associated with endometriosis (HR=1.09 [95% CI: 1.05-1.14] per z-score at age 7). Associations with childhood body size did not differ by endometriosis location. Childhood BMI and height were not associated with adenomyosis. Birth weight was not associated with endometriosis or adenomyosis.

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Background:Endometrial cancer risk factors include adult obesity and taller stature, but the influence of size earlier in life is incompletely understood. We examined whether childhood body mass index (BMI; kg m−2) and height were associated with histologic subtypes of endometrial cancer.Methods:From the Copenhagen School Health Records Register, 155 505 girls born 1930–1989 with measured weights and heights from 7 to 13 years were linked to health registers. BMI and height were transformed to age-specific z-scores. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals were estimated by Cox regressions.Results:A total of 1020 endometrial cancers were recorded. BMI was non-linearly associated with all endometrial cancers, oestrogen-dependent cancers and the subtype of endometrioid adenocarcinomas; associations were statistically significant and positive above a z-score=0 and non-significant below zero. Compared with a 7-year-old girl with a BMI z-score=0, an equally tall girl who was 3.6 kg heavier (BMI z-score=1.5) had a hazard ratio=1.53 (95% confidence interval: 1.29–1.82) for endometrioid adenocarcinoma. BMI was not associated with non-oestrogen-dependent cancers, except at the oldest childhood ages. Height at all ages was statistically significant and positively associated with all endometrial cancers, except non-oestrogen-dependent cancers. At 7 years, per ~5.2 cm (1 z-score), the risk of endometrioid adenocarcinoma was 1.18 (95% confidence interval: 1.09–1.28). Among non-users of unopposed oestrogens, associations between BMI and endometrioid adenocarcinoma strengthened, but no effects on height associations were observed.Conclusions:Endometrial carcinogenesis is linked to early-life body size, suggesting that childhood BMI and height may be useful indicators for the risk of later development of endometrial cancer and might aid in the early prevention of obesity-related endometrial cancers.

Background Adult height has been positively associated with prostate cancer risk. However, the exposure window of importance is currently unknown and assessments of height during earlier growth periods are scarce. In addition, the association between birth weight and prostate cancer remains undetermined. We assessed these relationships a cohort of the Copenhagen School Health Records Register (CSHRR). Methods The CSHRR comprises 372,636 school children. For boys born between the 1930’s and 1969, birth weight and annual childhood heights—measured between ages 7 and 13 years—were analyzed in relation to prostate cancer risk. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95 percent confidence intervals (95%CI). Results There were 125,211 males for analysis, 2,987 of who were subsequently diagnosed with prostate cancer during 2.57 million person-years of follow-up. Height z-score was significantly associated with prostate cancer risk at all ages (HR~1.13). Height at age 13 years was more important than height change (p=0.024) and height at age 7 years (p=0.024), when estimates from mutually adjusted models were compared. Adjustment of birth weight did not alter estimates ascertained. Birth weight was not associated with prostate cancer risk. Conclusions The association between childhood height and prostate cancer risk was driven by height at age 13 years. Impact Our findings implicate late childhood, adolescence and adulthood growth periods as containing the exposure window(s) of interest that underlies the association between height and prostate cancer. The causal factor may not be singular given the complexity of both human growth and carcinogenesis.