Background: Obesity is a risk factor for developing several diseases, and although dietary pulses (nonoil seeds of legumes such as beans, lentils, chickpeas, and dry peas) are well positioned to aid in weight control, the effects of dietary pulses on weight loss are unclear. Objective: We summarized and quantified the effects of dietary pulse consumption on body weight, waist circumference, and body fat by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Design: We searched the databases MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library through 11 May 2015 for randomized controlled trials of $3 wk of duration that compared the effects of diets containing whole dietary pulses with those of comparator diets without a dietary pulse intervention. Study quality was assessed by means of the Heyland Methodologic Quality Score, and risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Data were pooled with the use of generic inverse-variance random-effects models. Results: Findings from 21 trials (n = 940 participants) were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled analysis showed an overall significant weight reduction of 20.34 kg (95% CI: 20.63, 20.04 kg; P = 0.03) in diets containing dietary pulses (median intake of 132 g/d or w1 serving/d) compared with diets without a dietary pulse intervention over a median duration of 6 wk. Significant weight loss was observed in matched negative-energy-balance (weight loss) diets (P = 0.02) and in neutral-energy-balance (weightmaintaining) diets (P = 0.03), and there was low evidence of between-study heterogeneity. Findings from 6 included trials also suggested that dietary pulse consumption may reduce body fat percentage. Conclusions: The inclusion of dietary pulses in a diet may be a beneficial weight-loss strategy because it leads to a modest weight-loss effect even when diets are not intended to be calorically restricted. Future studies are needed to determine the effects of dietary pulses on long-term weight-loss sustainability. This protocol was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01594567.Am J Clin Nutr 2016;103:1213-23.

Background:Various epidemiologic factors have been shown to influence the risk of ovarian cancer development. Given the high fatality associated with this disease, it is of interest to evaluate the association of prediagnostic hormonal, reproductive, and lifestyle exposures with ovarian cancer-specific survival.Methods:We included 1421 patients with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer diagnosed in Ontario, Canada. Clinical information was obtained from medical records and prediagnostic exposure information was collected by telephone interview. Survival status was determined by linkage to the Ontario Cancer Registry. Proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for ovarian cancer-specific mortality associated with each exposure. Analyses were stratified by histologic subtype to further investigate the associations of risk factors on ovarian cancer-specific mortality.Results:After a mean follow-up of 9.48 years (range 0.59–20.32 years), 655 (46%) women had died of ovarian cancer. Parity (ever) was associated with a significant 29% decreased mortality risk compared with nulliparity (HR=0.71; 95% CI 0.54–0.93; P=0.01). There was a borderline significant association between ever use of oestrogen-containing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and mortality (HR=0.79; 95% CI 0.62–1.01; P=0.06). A history of cigarette smoking was associated with a significant 25% increased risk of death compared with never smoking (HR=1.25; 95% CI 1.01–1.54; P=0.04). Women with a greater cumulative number of ovulatory cycles had a significantly decreased risk of ovarian cancer-specific death (HR=0.63; 95% CI 0.43–0.94; P=0.02). Increasing BMI (kg m−2) 5 years before diagnosis was associated with an increased risk of death (HR=1.17; 95% CI 1.07–1.28; P=0.0007). Other hormonal or lifestyle factors were not significantly associated with ovarian cancer-specific mortality.Conclusions:Parity, ovulatory cycles, smoking, and BMI may affect survival following the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Whether or not oestrogen-containing HRT use is beneficial for survival requires further evaluation.

Our data suggest that elevated plasma folate concentrations may be associated with increased risk of breast cancer in women with a BRCA1/2 mutation. Additional studies with a larger sample size and longer follow-up periods are warranted to clarify the relation between folate status and breast cancer risk in high-risk women.

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