Background: Nutrition transition is a global health problem, especially in developing countries. It is known as an important factor for development of different types of health conditions including cancers. Objectives: We aimed to assess the pattern of nutrition transition in a high-risk area for upper gastrointestinal cancers in Northern Iran during the last decade. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on households of Golestan province, Iran. Data on household food consumption between 2001 and 2010 were obtained from the Statistical Center of Iran. The proportions of households with medium/high consumption of main foods were calculated for each year. Joint point software was used for assessing trends. Annual percent changes (APCs) and 95%CIs were calculated. Results: In total, 12,060 households were recruited. The APCs (95%CI) of the proportion of households medium/high consumption of cereals, vegetables, legumes, fish, dairy products and meats were -3.1 (-4.1 to -2.2), -2.9 (-3.8 to -2.1), -2.3 (-3.2 to -1.4), -2.8 (-3.3 to -2.4), -1.9 (-3.0 to -0.9) and 2.7 (1.2 to 4.3), respectively. Conclusions: We found significant increase in meat consumption among our population between 2001 and 2010. Our results also suggested significant decreasing trend in consumption of so-called healthy foods including, plant foods, fish, and dairy products. Regarding its correlation with health conditions including cancers, nutrition transition should be considered as a priority in health policy making in our region as well as other high-risk populations. It is recommended to conduct community level interventions to increase consumption of plant foods, fish, and dairy products.
Background: Esophageal cancer is one of the main causes of cancer mortality in the world. Golestan province, in the northern part of Iran, has the highest esophageal cancer rate in the world. The north and south districts of Golestan province can be classified as low and high-risk areas for esophageal cancer. One of the potential risk factors for esophageal cancer in this population is a nutrient-deficient diet. Dietary antioxidant compounds such as selenium, vitamin E, vitamin A, and β-carotene are reactive oxygen species (ROC) scavengers that play a key role in cellular responses to oxidative stress and preventing DNA damage. This study aims to compare the serum levels of selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin A in healthy individuals in high and low-risk areas of esophageal cancer. Methods: This study is a population of 242 healthy individuals. Serum selenium levels were assessed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Vitamin E and A were assessed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Results: Vitamin E levels of healthy individuals in high-risk areas were significantly lower than in low-risk areas, while there was no significant difference between the selenium and vitamin A levels of healthy individuals in high-risk areas and low-risk areas. Also, there was no significant difference between selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin A levels in urban and rural areas and men and women in Golestan province. Conclusion: High levels of selenium with lower levels of vitamin E, along with other risk factors, may be associated with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in high-risk areas of Golestan province.
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