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Abstract
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Background: Vegetarian diet has been associated with lower risk of cardiovascular diseases and mortality, partly due to its effects on serum lipid profiles. Lipid profiles [high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TG)] have not been fully elucidated by gender and either in pre and postmenopausal vegan or in ovo-lacto vegetarians in Taiwan. This study aimed to compare lipid profiles among vegans, ovo-lacto vegetarians and omnivores.
Methods: Demographic data and lipid profiles were obtained from the 2002 Taiwanese Survey on Hypertension, Hyperglycemia and Hyperlipidemia (TwSHHH). Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to examine factors significantly and independently associated with different categories of vegetarianism and to estimate the β value of lipid profiles in the dietary types.
Results: A total of 3,255 male and 3,551 female (2,397 premenopausal and 1,154 postmenopausal) participants who did not receive lipid lowering drugs were enrolled. Multivariate linear regression analyses showed that vegans decreased HDL-C levels (β=-7.19, P=0.001) in males. There were also significant associations of lower LDL-C between vegan (β=-12.76, P=0.001) and ovo-lacto vegetarian diets (β=-7.59, P =0.018), compared with omnivorous diet. Females reported to have consumed either a vegan or an ovo-lacto vegetarian diets were at the risk of having low HDL-C unlike those that consumed omnivorous diets (β=-5.84, P=<.0001 and β=-4.66, P=0.0002).The results also showed that ovo-lacto vegetarian diets decreased LDL-C levels (β=-4.95, P=0.031).When stratified by menopausal status, vegan and ovo-lacto vegetarian diets decreased HDL-C levels in premenopausal females (β=-7.63, P=0.001 and β=-4.87, P=0.001).There were significant associations between lower LDL-C and ovo-lacto vegetarians (β=-7.14, P=0.008), and between TG and vegans (β=23.37, P=0.008), compared with omnivorous. Postmenopausal females reported to have consumed either a vegan and ovo-lacto vegetarian diets were at the risk of having low HDL-C unlike those that consumed omnivorous diets (β=-4.90, P=0.014 and β=-4.47, P=0.047).
Conclusions: Vegan diet was associated with reduced HDL-C concentrations in both gender. Because the ovo-lacto vegetarian diet was effective in lowering LDL-C, it may be more appropriate for males and premenopausal females.
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Abstract
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The effect of pulmonary diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung tuberculosis (TB) on subsequent lung cancer have been reported, but few studies have focused on the association of coexisting pulmonary diseases in different histologic types of lung cancer. This study was conducted to investigate the association between pulmonary diseases and different histologic types of lung cancer and further explored whether the coexisting pulmonary diseases have a higher risk of lung cancer based on gender.
The data used in this study was extracted from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) from 2001-2008, which was provided by the National Health Research Institute. A total of 15,219,024 residents aged 20 years and older, who had pulmonary diseases from 2001-2003, were identified and tracked until when they developed lung cancer or to the end of 2008. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to assess the risk of developing lung cancer by histologic type, with adjustment for the age group, low income, geographic area, urbanization and comorbidities.
After adjustment for confounders, the HRs of squamous cell carcinoma in males were 1.81 for Asthma, 1.82 for COPD and 1.73 for TB, whereas those for females were 1.61 for Asthma, 1.51 for COPD and 3.64 for TB. The HRs of adenocarcinoma in males were 1.31 for Asthma, 1.59 for COPD and 1.64 for TB, while those in females were 1.28 for Asthma, 1.40 for COPD and 1.82 for TB. The HRs of small cell carcinoma in males were 1.84 for Asthma, 1.57 for COPD and 1.65 for TB. For lung cancer, the HRs in males were 1.57 for Asthma, 1.68 for COPD and 1.81 for TB, while those in females were 1.35 for Asthma, 1.38 for COPD and 1.96 for TB patients. The HRs in males were 2.81 for Asthma +COPD+ TB patients and were 2.96 in females with Asthma+ COPD+ TB.
The study shows that Asthma, COPD and TB were associated with increased risks of squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Patients with coexisting pulmonary diseases were more susceptible to certain histologic types of lung cancer.
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