Recent epidemiological studies suggest that treatment with insulin may promote cancer growth. The present systematic review and meta-analysis of published observational studies was conducted to assess the risk of cancer during treatment with insulin. A search of online database through January 2011 was performed and examined the reference lists of pertinent articles, limited to observational studies in humans. Pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated with a random-effects model. Fifteen studies (five case-control and ten cohort studies) were included, with 562,043 participants and 14,085 cases of cancer. Insulin treatment was associated with an increased risk of overall cancer [summary RR (95% CI)=1.39 (1.14, 1.70)]. Summary RR (9% CI) for case-control studies was 1.83 (0.99, 3.38), whereas RR for cohort studies was 1.28 (1.03, 1.59). These results were consistent between studies conducted in the USA and in Europe. For studies that included combined type 1 and 2 diabetes, the summary estimate was stronger than studies including only type 2 diabetes mellitus. The association between insulin treatment and cancer was stronger for pancreatic cancer [summary RR (95% CI)=4.78 (3.12, 7.32)] than for colorectal cancer [1.50 (1.08, 2.08)]. Insulin treatment was not associated with breast, prostate, and hepatocelluar cancer, and their effect estimates were not statistically significant. Our findings support an association between insulin use and increased risk of overall, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer.

Although several epidemiological studies have investigated the relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hip circumference or height, the results are inconsistent. The present systematic review and meta-analysis of published observational studies was conducted to assess the effects of hip circumference and height on diabetes risk. Online databases were searched through January 2012, and the reference lists of pertinent articles reporting observational studies in humans were examined. Pooled relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated with a random-effects model. Eighteen studies (nine cross-sectional and nine cohort) were included, with 250,497 participants and 7,765 cases of T2DM. Hip circumference was inversely associated with an increased risk of T2DM in men (summary RR [95% CI] 0.60 [0.45, 0.80]) and women (0.54 [0.42, 0.70]). These results were consistent between cross-sectional and cohort studies. An inverse association between height and T2DM was observed in women only (summary RR [95% CI] 0.83 [0.73, 0.95]). Our meta-analysis strongly supports an inverse relationship between hip circumference and risk of T2DM in men and women. The inverse association between height and risk was significant only in women.

This meta-analysis supports a positive significant association between higher consumption of SSB and NAFLD in both men and women. These findings strengthen the evidence that intake of SSBs should be limited to reduce fatty liver disease.

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A considerable proportion of Iranian drivers had records of road accidents; poor sleep quality, sleepiness while driving, and sleep disorder breathing (obstructive sleep apnea - OSA). Snoring, smoking, driving time in a day, excessive sleepiness, and presumably apnea increase the odds of poor sleep quality and road traffic accident for Iranian occupational drivers.

The role of dietary calcium in cardiovascular disease prevention is unclear. We aimed to determine the association between calcium intake and incident cardiovascular disease and mortality. Data were extracted from the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer, Norfolk (EPIC-Norfolk). Multivariable Cox regressions analysed associations between calcium intake (dietary and supplemental) and cardiovascular disease (myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, aortic stenosis, peripheral vascular disease) and mortality (cardiovascular and all-cause). The results of this study were pooled with those from published prospective cohort studies in a meta-analsyis, stratifying by average calcium intake using a 700 mg/day threshold. A total of 17,968 participants aged 40–79 years were followed up for a median of 20.36 years (20.32–20.38). Compared to the first quintile of calcium intake (< 770 mg/day), intakes between 771 and 926 mg/day (second quintile) and 1074–1254 mg/day (fourth quintile) were associated with reduced all-cause mortality (HR 0.91 (0.83–0.99) and 0.85 (0.77–0.93), respectively) and cardiovascular mortality [HR 0.95 (0.87–1.04) and 0.93 (0.83-1.04)]. Compared to the first quintile of calcium intake, second, third, fourth, but not fifth quintiles were associated with fewer incident strokes: respective HR 0.84 (0.72–0.97), 0.83 (0.71–0.97), 0.78 (0.66–0.92) and 0.95 (0.78–1.15). The meta-analysis results suggest that high levels of calcium intake were associated with decreased all-cause mortality, but not cardiovascular mortality, regardless of average calcium intake. Calcium supplementation was associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality amongst women, but not men. Moderate dietary calcium intake may protect against cardiovascular and all-cause mortality and incident stroke. Calcium supplementation may reduce mortality in women.

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