Nutritional Epidemiology Research Unit

Association between dietary factors and the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been studied extensively. However, identification of deleterious dietary patterns merits further study. To investigate the risk of developing Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) according to the inflammatory score of the diet (ISD) in the multinational European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. We used validated food frequency questionnaires collected at baseline to compute ISD scores. We estimated the association between ISD score and risks of CD and UC risks using Cox models stratified by centre, sex and age. We adjusted for smoking status, BMI, physical activity, energy intake, educational level and alcohol intake. We included 394,255 individuals including 184 incident cases of CD and 459 of UC after median follow-up of 13.6 years (4,889,910 person-years). High ISD scores were associated with a higher risk of CD (fourth vs. first quartile-adjusted HR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.14-3.10; p-trend < 0.01) but not of UC (adjusted HR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.63-1.15; p-trend 0.21). For CD, this association was mainly observed for women (adjusted HR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.17-3.91; p-trend < 0.01). On subgroup analyses, those differences were mainly driven by low intakes of fibre, mono-unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin C, magnesium, onion and alcohol. A high ISD score is associated with a higher risk of developing CD but not UC. These results should be taken into account in high-risk populations.

The individual results of SARS-CoV-2 serological tests measured after the first pandemic wave of 2020 cannot be directly interpreted as a probability of having been infected. Plus, these results are usually returned as a binary or ternary variable, relying on predefined cut-offs. We propose a Bayesian mixture model to estimate individual infection probabilities, based on 81,797 continuous anti-spike IgG tests from Euroimmun collected in France after the first wave. This approach used serological results as a continuous variable, and was therefore not based on diagnostic cut-offs. Cumulative incidence, which is necessary to compute infection probabilities, was estimated according to age and administrative region. In France, we found that a “negative” or a “positive” test, as classified by the manufacturer, could correspond to a probability of infection as high as 61.8% or as low as 67.7%, respectively. “Indeterminate” tests encompassed probabilities of infection ranging from 10.8 to 96.6%. Our model estimated tailored individual probabilities of SARS-CoV-2 infection based on age, region, and serological result. It can be applied in other contexts, if estimates of cumulative incidence are available.

SummaryBackgroundNutri‐score is now widely available in food packages in Europe.AimTo study the overall nutritional quality of the diet in relation to risks of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohortMethodsWe collected dietary data at baseline from validated food frequency questionnaires. We used a dietary index based on the UK Food Standards Agency modified nutrient profiling system (FSAm‐NPS‐DI) underlying the Nutri‐Score label, to measure the nutritional quality of the diet. We estimated the association between FSAm‐NPS‐DI score, and CD and UC risks using Cox models stratified by centre, sex and age; and adjusted for smoking status, BMI, physical activity, energy intake, educational level and alcohol intake.ResultsWe included 394,255 participants (68.1% women; mean age at recruitment 52.1 years). After a mean follow‐up of 13.6 years, there were 184 incident cases of CD and 459 incident cases of UC. Risk of CD was higher in those with a lower nutritional quality, that is higher FSAm‐NPS‐DI Score (fourth vs. first quartile: aHR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.24–3.36; p‐trend: <0.01). Among items of the FSAm‐NPS‐DI Score, low intakes of dietary fibre and fruits/vegetables/legumes/nuts were associated with higher risk of CD. Nutritional quality was not associated with risk of UC (fourth vs. first quartile of the FSAm‐NPS‐DI Score: aHR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.69–1.21; p‐trend: 0.76).ConclusionsA diet with low nutritional quality as measured by the FSAm‐NPS‐DI Score is associated with a higher risk of CD but not UC.

BackgroundNitrates and nitrites are used as food additives in processed meats. They are also commonly ingested from water and several foods. Several short‐term clinical studies suggested beneficial effects of dietary nitrates on blood pressure, while deleterious effects on oxidative damage have been suggested in some experimental studies. However, there is a lack of evidence from longitudinal epidemiological studies linking foods and water‐originated and additives‐originated nitrites and nitrates, separately, to hypertension and cardiovascular diseases risk. We aimed to study these associations in a large population‐based cohort.Methods and ResultsOverall, 106 288 adults from the French NutriNet‐Santé cohort (2009–2022) were included. Associations between nitrites and nitrates intakes and hypertension and cardiovascular disease risks were assessed using multi‐adjusted Cox proportional hazard models. During follow‐up, 3810 incident cases of hypertension and 2075 cases of cardiovascular diseases were ascertained. Participants with higher intakes of additives‐originated nitrites (sodium nitrite in particular [European code e250]) had a higher hypertension risk compared with nonconsumers (hazard ratio, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.08–1.32], P=0.001, and 1.19 [95% CI, 1.08–1.32], P=0.002), respectively. No association was detected between foods and water‐originated nitrites, or nitrates with hypertension risk (all P values >0.3). We found no association between nitrites or nitrates and risks of cardiovascular diseases (all P values >0.2).ConclusionsThese results do not support a protective role of nitrites or nitrates in cardiovascular health. Instead, they suggest a positive association between nitrites from food additives and hypertension risk, which needs confirmation in other large‐scale studies. These findings provide new evidence in the context of current discussions about updating regulations on the use of nitrites as food additives.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is one of the most common noncommunicable diseases worldwide, with an increasing prevalence and a considerable global health burden. Substantial evidence has linked consumption of trans fatty acids (TFAs) to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the effects of T2D remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the associations between different types of TFAs (total, ruminant, industrial and corresponding specific isomers) and risk of T2D in the NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort. Overall, 105,551 participants aged 18 years or older from the French NutriNet-Santé cohort (2009-2021) were included (mean age at baseline=42.7y (SD = 14.6y), 79.2% women). Dietary intake data, including usual TFA intake, were collected using repeated 24-hour dietary records (n = 5.7 [SD = 3.1]). Associations between sex-specific quartiles of dietary intake of TFAs and type 2 diabetes risk were assessed using multivariable Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for known risk factors. A total of 969 incident type 2 diabetes cases occured during follow-up. Total TFAs was associated with higher T2D risk (HRfor quartile 4 versus 1=1.38; 95% CI = 1.11-1.73; Ptrend<0.001). This association, specifically observed for industrial TFAs (HR = 1.45; 95% CI = 1.15-1.83; Ptrend<0.001), was mainly driven by elaidic acid (HR = 1.37; 95% CI = 1.09-1.72; Ptrend<0.001) and linolelaidic acid (HR = 1.29; 95% CI = 1.04-1.58; Ptrend=0.07). In contrast, ruminant trans fatty acids were not significantly associated with the risk of T2D. In this large prospective cohort, higher dietary intakes of total and industrial TFAs were associated with increased T2D risk. These findings support WHO's recommendation to eliminate industrially-produced TFAs from the food supply worldwide. As such, consumers should be advised to limit the consumption of food products containing partially hydrogenated oils (main vector of iTFAs) as this, specifically, may contribute to lower the substantial global burden of T2D.Key messages• Higher dietary intakes of total and industrial trans fatty acids were associated with increased type 2 diabetes risk.• Our findings support WHO’s recommendation to eliminate industrially-produced TFAs from the food supply worldwide.

Establishment of the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) has resulted in a surveillance system which provides regular, reliable, timely, and accurate data on children's weight status-through standardized measurement of bodyweight and height-in the WHO European Region. Additional data on dietary intake, physical activity, sedentary behavior, family background, and school environments are collected in several countries. In total, 45 countries in the European Region have participated in COSI. The first five data collection rounds, between 2007 and 2021, yielded measured anthropometric data on over 1.3 million children. In COSI, data are collected according to a common protocol, using standardized instruments and procedures. The systematic collection and analysis of these data enables intercountry comparisons and reveals differences in the prevalence of childhood thinness, overweight, normal weight, and obesity between and within populations. Furthermore, it facilitates investigation of the relationship between overweight, obesity, and potential risk or protective factors and improves the understanding of the development of overweight and obesity in European primary-school children in order to support appropriate and effective policy responses.