Publications

Towards refining World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research cancer prevention recommendations for red and processed meat intake: insights from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project cohort

Authors: Ala Al Rajabi, Geraldine Lo Siou, Alianu K. Akawung, Kathryn McDonald, Tiffany R. Price, Grace Shen-Tu, Paula J. Robson, Paul J. Veugelers, Katerina Maximova

This study examined the associations of processed meat derived from red versus non-red meats with cancer risk in the Alberta’s Tomorrow Project cohort of 26 218 adults who reported dietary intake using the Canadian Diet History Questionnaire. Incidence of cancer was obtained through data linkage with the Alberta Cancer Registry.

A longitudinal residential relocation study of changes in street layout and physical activity

Researchers sourced data from 5,944 Alberta’s Tomorrow Project participants to estimate physical activity differences between non-movers and movers – those moving to neighbourhoods with less or more integrated street layouts. They found that moving to more integrated areas led to more leisure walking and more moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity.

A Prospective Analysis of Plasma Phospholipid Fatty Acids and Breast Cancer Risk in 2 Provinces in Canada

Authors: Marnie Newell, Sunita Ghosh, Susan Goruk, Mohammedreza Pakseresht, Jennifer Vena, Trevor Dummer, Catherine Field

This study compared participants from BCGP and ATP and examined whether there was an association between fatty acid status and the risk of breast cancer, including location, menopausal status, and waist-to-hip ratio as key variables. Findings suggest that regional variations in fatty acid status influence breast cancer risk and highlights the complexity and difficulty in using fatty acid status to predict breast cancer risk in diverse populations without the consideration of other risk factors.

An examination of the role of socioeconomic status in the relationship between depression and prostate cancer survivorship in a population-based sample of men from Atlantic Canada

Authors: Gabriela Ilie, Robert Rutledge, Ellen Sweeney

This study found that the association of depression and prostate cancer still stands when the survivors of prostate cancer are compared to survivors of any other form of cancer, and further indicates that the association is moderated by household income.

Administering a combination of online dietary assessment tools, the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Assessment Tool and Diet History Questionnaire-II, in a cohort of adults in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project

Authors: Nathan Solbak, Paula Robson, Geraldine Lo Siou, Ala Al Rajabi, Seol Paek, Jennifer Vena, Sharon Kirkpatrick

This study determined the feasibility and acceptability of combining the ASA24-2016 and the past-year Diet History Questionnaire web-based tools in a subset of participants in the ATP cohort. The study found that combining ASA24-2016 recalls and the DHQ-II is feasible in this group of ATP participants.

Common variants in the CD36 gene are associated with dietary fat intake, high-fat food consumption and serum triglycerides in a cohort of Quebec adults

Authors: Tongzhu Meng, Stan Kubow, Daiva E. Nielsen

This study found that CD36 variants are associated with habitual fat consumption, which may play a role in subsequent associations with chronic-disease biomarkers. Associations differ by BMI status and dietary fat type.

Predictors of long-term use of prescription opioids in the community-dwelling population of adults without a cancer diagnosis: a retrospective cohort study

Authors: Audrey Béliveau, Anne-Marie Castilloux, Cara Tannenbaum, Philippe Vincent, Cristiano Soares de Moura, Sasha Bernatsky, Yola Moride

This study aimed to identify risk factors for and predictors of long-term use of prescription opioids in the community-dwelling population of adults without a diagnosis of cancer, to inform practice change at the point of care. It was found that limiting the initial supply to no more than 7 days and limiting doses to 90 MME/day or less are actions that could be undertaken at the point of care to prevent long-term use.

Investigating the causal role of MRE11A p.E506* in breast and ovarian cancer

Authors: Islam Elkholi, Massimo Di Iorio, Somayyeh Fahiminiya, Suzanna Arcand, HyeRim Han, Clara Nogué, Supriya Behl, Nancy Hamel, Sylvie Giroux, Manon de Ladurantaye, Olga Aleynikova, Walter Gotlieb, Jean-François Côté, François Rousseau, Patricia Tonin, Diane Provencher, Anne-Marie MesMasson, Mohammad Akbari, Barbara Rivera, William Foulkes

This study investigated if MRE11A is a true predisposition gene for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Investigations suggested that the identified variant is not associated with an increased risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer, and suggests a lack of clinical utility of MRE11A testing in HBOC, at least in the White/Caucasian populations.

Regional Comparisons of Associations between Physical Activity Levels and Cardiovascular Disease: The Story of Atlantic Canada

Authors: Bartosz Orzel, Melanie Keats, Yunsong Cui, Scott Grandy

The study examined participants’ physical activity levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease based on the region they lived in. The research team found that high physical activity was associated with a 26% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Regions in Newfoundland and New Brunswick observed higher levels of CVD than Nova Scotia and PEI.

Associations between cognitive function, metabolic factors and depression: A prospective study in Quebec, Canada

Authors: Floriana Ferri, Sonya Dechenes, Niamh Power, Norbert Schmitz

The study used baseline and follow-up CARTaGENE data to assess the potential interactions between low cognitive function, metabolic risk factors and history of depression as risk factors for future depressive episodes. Participants with a comorbidity of at least one metabolic factor, history of depression and low cognitive function were found to have the highest risk of experiencing a depressive episode in middle age.