Positive Health Online

Abstract

VAN HOYDONCK and colleagues, Department of Public Health, Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium, Pascale.vanhoydonck@med.kuleuven.ac.be, investigated whether the oxidative balance of dietary constituents was related to risk of death in male Belgian smokers .

Background

Methodology

The researchers calculated an oxidative balance score that took into account dietary intakes of antioxidant vitamins (beta-carotene and vitamin C ) and iron (a pro-oxidant ). According to these scores, subjects were divided into two groups: 1) a low oxidative balance score group, which included subjects who consumed high levels of vitamin C and beta-carotene and/or low levels of iron; and 2) a high oxidative balance score group, which included subjects consuming low levels of vitamin C and beta-carotene and/or high levels of iron. Subjects were 2814 male smokers who had taken part in the Belgian Interuniversity Research on Nutrition and Health (BIRNH) Study. The investigators used the 10-year follow-up mortality data from this study to explore the association of the oxidative balance score with deaths due to any cause, deaths due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and total deaths due to cancer .

Results

Male smokers with the highest oxidative balance scores had a higher relative risk (RR) of all-cause (1.44 ) and total cancer death (1.62 ;) compared with subjects with the lowest scores. There was a less pronounced, non-significant association for risk of CVD death (1.31). The data suggested a threshold risk for all-cause and total cancer death rather than a linear relationship.

Conclusion

The findings indicate that the oxidative balance of the diet is linked to subsequent death . For smokers who consume a diet with a high oxidative balance, it may be prudent to recommend consumption of higher levels of fresh fruit and vegetables and lower levels of meat.

References

Van Hoydonck PGA et al. A dietary oxidative balance score of vitamin C, beta-carotene and iron intakes and mortality risk in male smoking Belgians. The Journal of Nutrition 132 (4): 756-61. Apr 2002.

Comment

Surely smokers should stop smoking, which would reduce their risk of death to both heart disease and cancer.