Intake of animal products such as eggs, dairy products, and fish may be protective against intracerebral haemorrhage, but is not related to cerebral infarction mortality.

Background and Purpose-A traditional diet that is poor in animal products is thought to explain the high rate of stroke in Asian populations. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of a diet rich in animal protein, animal fat, and cholesterol on the risk of cerebral infarction mortality in a Japanese population. Methods-A prospective study of 3731 Japanese men and women aged 35 to 89 years was conducted from 1984 to 2001.Nutrient intake was estimated at baseline from the responses to a 24-hour diary. During the follow-up period, cases of cerebral infarction deaths (as entered on death certificates) were monitored. Results-During the follow-up period, 60 deaths were attributed to cerebral infarction. A high intake of animal fat and cholesterol was significantly associated with a reduced risk of cerebral infarction death. The risk was reduced by 62% (CI, 82% to 18%) for those in the third tertile of animal fat intake, compared with those in the first tertile, with a significant linear dose-response relationship (Pϭ0.0073). The risk of death from infarction was reduced by 63% (CI, 82% to 22%) in the high cholesterol consumption group, compared with the low consumption group. A significant linear dose-response relationship was observed. Animal protein was not significantly associated with infarction mortality after adjustment for animal fat and cholesterol. Conclusions-This study suggests that in Japan, where animal product intake is lower than in Western countries, a high consumption of animal fat and cholesterol was associated with a reduced risk of cerebral infarction death.

The association between green-yellow vegetables and fruit consumption and risk of cancer death was investigated in a prospective study of 38 540 men and women who were atomic-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Study participants completed a dietary questionnaire in 1980 -1981 and were followed-up for cancer deaths until March 1998, during which time 3136 cancer deaths were identified. Daily or almost daily fruit consumption was associated with a significant 12% reduction in total cancer mortality (RR ¼ 0.88; 95% CI, 0.80 -0.96 for daily intake compared with intake once per week or less). Daily or almost daily greenyellow vegetables consumption was associated with a marginally significant 8% reduction in total cancer mortality (0.92; 0.94 -1.01). Green-yellow vegetables consumption was associated with a significant reduction in liver cancer mortality (0.75; 0.60 -0.95). Fruit consumption was associated with a significantly reduced risk of stomach cancer and lung cancer mortality (0.80; 0.65 -0.98). Greenyellow vegetables and fruit consumption was associated with a reduction in oesophageal cancer, but these associations were not statistically significant. Neither green-yellow vegetables nor fruit consumption was associated with colorectal cancer or breast cancer mortality. These results support the evidence that daily consumption of fruit and vegetables reduces the risk of total cancer, and specifically cancers of the stomach, liver, and lung.

These data suggest that dietary factors may not be strong determinants of prostate cancer in these Japanese men, although the increased risk associated with a high consumption of fish warrants further study.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a key enzyme regulating folate metabolism, which affects DNA synthesis and methylation. This study investigated the relation of MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms to colorectal cancer in a case-control study in Fukuoka, Japan. The subjects comprised 685 incident cases of histologically confirmed colorectal adenocarcinomas and 778 community controls selected randomly in the study area. The genotype was determined by the PCR-RFLP method using genomic DNA extracted from buffy coat. Alcohol use was ascertained by in-person interview. Statistical adjustment was made for gender, age class, area, and alcohol use. The MTHFR 677TT genotype was associated with a statistically significant decrease in the risk with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.69 (95% confidence interval 0.51-0.93) compared with the 677CC and 677CT combined, and the decrease was most evident in individuals with no alcohol consumption. While the A1298C polymorphism showed no measurable association with the overall risk of colorectal cancer, the 1298CC genotype was associated with a statistically significant increase in the risk when alcohol consumption was high, and was also associated with an approximately 2-fold increase in the risk of each of proximal and distal colon cancer. The findings add to evidence that individuals with the MTHFR 677TT genotype have a decreased risk of colorectal cancer in the absence of folate depletion, suggesting a protective role of folate by ensuring a sufficient thymidylate pool for DNA synthesis. Because very few individuals had the 1298CC genotype, the findings regarding the A1298C polymorphism need careful interpretation and confirmation in larger studies. uch attention has recently been drawn to the role of folate metabolism in colorectal carcinogenesis.1, 2) Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a key enzyme regulating folate metabolism. It irreversibly converts 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, which is the major form of folate in blood.2) The substrate of MTHFR, 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate, is required for conversion of deoxyuridylate to thymidylate. Depletion of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate results in uracil misincorporation into DNA, and removal of this abnormal base may lead to single and double strand breaks.3, 4) Furthermore, insufficient thymidylate can increase DNA misrepair, resulting in overall DNA damage in the cell.5) On the other hand, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate provides the methyl group for methylation of homocysteine to methionine. Imbalanced DNA methylation, i.e., global genomic hypomethylation and methylation of usually unmethylated CpG sites, has been implicated in colorectal carcinogenesis. [6][7][8] Two common functional polymorphisms are known in the MTHFR gene; one is the C677T polymorphism in exon 4, resulting in an alanine-to-valine substitution at codon 222, 9) and the other is the A1298C in exon 7, resulting in a substitution of glutamate with alanine at codon 429.10) Individuals who are homozygous for the vari...

High intake of red meat has been associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer in Western countries. There has been much interest in the role of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in colorectal cancer prevention, but epidemiological findings are limited and inconsistent. The objective of our study was to examine associations of meat, fish and fat intake with risk of colorectal cancer, paying particular attention to the subsite within the colorectum. Data were from the Fukuoka Colorectal Cancer Study, a population-based case-control study, covering 782 cases and 793 controls. Diet was assessed by interview, using newly developed personal-computer software for registering semiquantitative food frequencies. The intake of beef/pork, processed meat, total fat, saturated fat or n-6 PUFA showed no clear association with the overall or subsite-specific risk of colorectal cancer. There was an almost significant inverse association between n-3 PUFA and the risk of colorectal cancer; the covariate-adjusted odds ratio for the highest (median 3.94 g/day) versus lowest (median 1.99 g/day) quintile of energy-adjusted intake was 0.74 (95% confidence interval 0.52-1.06, trend P = 0.050). The consumption of fish and fish products was similarly inversely related to the risk although the association was not statistically significant. These associations were more evident for distal colon cancer; adjusted odds ratio for the highest versus lowest quintile of n-3 PUFA intake was 0.56 (95% confidence interval 0.34-0.92, trend P = 0.02). Our findings do not support the hypothesis that consumption of red meat increases colorectal cancer risk but do suggest that high intake of fish may decrease the risk, particularly of distal colon cancer. (Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 590-597)

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Background and Purpose-Fruits and vegetables are known for their beneficial effects on chronic diseases. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables on total stroke mortality and its 2 main subtypes in men and women separately. Methods-A prospective cohort study of 40 349 Japanese men and women was initiated in 1980 -1981 and followed until 1998. Fruit and vegetable intake was assessed at baseline on the basis of the response to a food frequency questionnaire. During the 18-year follow-up period, deaths from stroke were registered. Results-A total of 1926 stroke deaths were identified during the follow-up period. An increasing frequency of intake of green-yellow vegetables and fruit was associated with a reduced risk of death from intracerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction. Daily intake of green-yellow vegetables was associated with a significant 26% reduction in the risk of death from total stroke in men and women compared with an intake of once or less per week. The protective effect associated with daily fruit and vegetable intake was observed for both cerebral infarction and intracerebral hemorrhage mortality but was slightly stronger and clearer for infarction than for hemorrhage, with a 32% reduction in men and a 30% reduction in women. Daily fruit intake was associated with a significant 35% reduction in risk of total stroke in men and a 25% reduction in women and was equally strong for both intracerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction. Conclusions-Daily consumption of green-yellow vegetables and fruits is associated with a lower risk of total stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and cerebral infarction mortality. The protective effects are similar in both men and women.