In a population-based case-referent study of urothelial cancer in Stockholm during 1985-87, information was obtained from 78% of 418 identified cases and 77% of 511 selected referents. The relative risk (with 95% confidence interval) for intake of vitamin A supplements was 0.5 (0.2-1.0), with a dose-response relationship with increasing frequency of consumption. Increased risks of urothelial cancer were seen for several fried foods, for example fried meat [relative risk 1.4 (1.0-1.8) for weekly intake] and fried potatoes [relative risk 1.6 (1.1-2.6) for weekly intake]. Subjects with a high intake of fried foods, as defined by a collapsed variable, had a relative risk of 2.4 (1.4-4.2). A dose-response relationship was also seen with an increasing average daily intake of fat [relative risk 1.7 (1.0-2.8) in the highest quintile], but adjusting for fried foods decreased the relative risk, and it is uncertain whether the adjustment allowed for residual confounding. No association was noted for meat other than fried, but the analysis was based on small numbers.

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The associations between methods of cooking meats and colorectal cancer were examined in a population-based case-referent study performed in Stockholm in 1986-1988. The study included 559 cases and 505 referents. Total meat intake, frequent consumption of brown gravy, and a preference for a heavily browned meat surface each independently increased the risk for colorectal cancer. The relative risks (RR) were higher for rectal than for colon cancer, and for boiled meat (RR colon = 1.7, RR rectum = 2.7) than for meat fried with a medium or lightly browned surface (RR colon = 0.8, RR rectum = 1.1), but the highest risks were for meat fried with a heavily browned surface (RR colon = 2.8, RR rectum = 6.0). The analyses were adjusted for year of birth, gender and fat intake. Further adjustments for total energy, dietary fiber intake, body mass and physical activity had little or no influence on the results. The findings suggest that, in addition to frequent meat intake, a heavily browned meat surface formed when frying meat at high temperatures is important in the etiology of colorectal cancer.

A population-based case-referent study on physical activity (during working and recreational hours) and colon cancer was performed in Stockholm in 1986-1988. The study included 1,081 subjects. Low physical activity was associated with an excess risk of colon (but not rectum) cancer for both men and women, showing a dose-response relationship with decreasing levels of physical activity. The effect was seen in the left colon (relative risk = 3.2, 95% confidence interval = 1.5-7.0) rather than in the right colon (relative risk = 1.1, 0.5-2.5). These results persisted after adjustment for year of birth, gender, body mass, intake of total energy, protein, total fat, dietary fibre, and browned meat surface.

A population-based case-referent study on diet (total energy, protein, fat, dietary fiber), body mass and colorectal cancer was performed in Stockholm in 1986-1988. The study included 1,081 subjects. The relative risks (RR, with a 95% confidence interval, highest versus lowest quintile) for colon cancer were as follows: total energy (1.7, 1.0-3.0), protein (2.4, 1.5-4.0), total fat (2.2, 1.3-3.6), dietary fiber for men (0.5, 0.2-1.1), dietary fiber for women (1.2, 0.7-2.3) and body mass (2.0, 1.3-3.1). The relative risks for rectal cancer were: total energy (2.4, 1.2-4.7), protein (3.6, 2.0-6.4), total fat (2.5, 1.4-4.6), dietary fiber (0.5, 0.3-0.9), body mass for men (1.7, 0.7-4.0), and body mass for women (1.0, 0.5-1.9). Adjustment for physical activity, body mass (in the diet analysis), the above-mentioned dietary factors (in the body mass analysis), and browned meat surface had little or no influence on the results.

Twenty-two female teenagers engaged in elite gymnast training and 22 healthy girls of comparable age were studied with regard to nutritional intake. The mean daily intakes of most nutrients in both groups were in accordance with the Swedish Nutritional Recommendations; exceptions were iron and dietary fibre which were too low in both groups. The individual variation was large in both groups and many subjects had an intake below the nutritional recommendations. Both the gymnasts and the reference group had an energy intake significantly below the estimated energy need. The mean daily energy intake was 725 kcal less than the energy need in the gymnast group and 450 kcal less in the reference group. The clinical investigation revealed that several gymnasts had delayed menarche or irregular menstruation as well as less body fat than the reference group. Among the gymnasts, girls with a regular menstrual pattern had more body fat than those who had not started to menstruate. The higher energy expenditure of the gymnasts could partly explain their smaller amounts of body fat, late pubertal development and menstrual patterns.

An objective, nutritionally orientated classification system is necessary to evaluate the frequency, nutritional quality and temporal distribution of eating events in dietary surveys. In this paper a system to classify eating events qualitatively with regard to the types of food items consumed is described and demonstrated. It comprises eight food categories and criteria for their combination into four types of meals and three types of snacks of various nutrient composition. The food categories represent food items of animal and plant origin, and also food products containing sucrose and beverages containing alcohol or lacking energy and nutrients. Classification requires individual data collected by established food‐record or recall methods. Data on consumed amounts is not required to classify qualitatively the eating events per se, but is required for quantitative calculations of their content, composition and relative contribution to total intakes. The application of the system to dietary data (80 repeated 24‐h recalls, 517 eating events) of 16 male three‐shift workers showed that classification of eating events was easy and largely unequivocal compared to traditional methods. Subsequent calculations showed expected differences between eating types with regard to content and relative quality. The meal‐classification system might be used as a cost‐effective method to evaluate the nutritional profile of meal patterns in surveys.

The consumption of breastmilk was studied by the weighing method in 75 infants aged 1, 2 and 3 months (+/- 1 week), 25 infants in each group. Similarly the same number of infants in the same age groups, bottle-red ad libitum, was studied and the consumption and consumption pattern were compared between the two groups. The mean and range of consumed amounts of both types of milk were similar to that found in other studies. The means for breastmilk were 656-773-776 g and for breastmilk substitutes 713-811-853 g in the 1, 2 and 3 months infants, respectively, but with wide variations. When expressed as kcal/kg it appeared to be practically no difference between the two feeding groups. The bottle-fed infants had fewer meals and had a more even consumption from meal to meal. It is concluded that infants largely regulate themselves the intake they require.