Dyslipidemia has been linked to breast cancer incidence. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to further investigate the relationship between the serum lipid profile and breast cancer risk. Databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Sciences were searched up to the end of January 2021 using certain MeSH and non-MeSH keywords and combinations to extract related published articles. Twenty-six prospective studies involving 1,628,871 women, of whom 36,590 were diagnosed with breast cancer during the follow-up period met the inclusion criteria. A negative and significant association was found between the HDL-C level and the risk of breast cancer (relative risk (RR): 0.85, 95% CI: 0.72–0.99, I²: 67.6%, p = 0.04). In contrast, TG (RR: 1.02, 95% CI: 0.91–1.13, I²: 54.2%, p = 0.79), total cholesterol (TC) (RR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.90–1.06, I²: 67.2%, p = 0.57), apolipoprotein A (ApoA) (RR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.70–1.30, I²: 83.5%, p = 0.78) and LDL-C (RR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.79–1.09, I²: 0%, p = 0.386) were not associated with breast cancer development. In studies adjusting for hormone use and physical activity, breast cancer risk was positively correlated with TC (RR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01–1.10). Similarly, TG was significantly related to breast cancer development after adjustment for baseline lipids (RR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.85–0.99) and race (any races mentioned in each study) (RR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.22–2.65). In the present meta-analysis, HDL-C was inversely related to breast cancer risk. Overall, data on the links between lipids and breast cancer are conflicting. However, there is increasing evidence that low HDL-C is related to an increased risk for this type of malignancy.

This systematic review and meta-analysis were aimed to determine the effects of grape products on liver enzymes in adults. Databases including PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Science, and Scopus were searched up to February 2021. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) investigating the effect of grape products on serum concentrations of liver enzymes were included. Data were pooled using the random-effects model and weighted mean difference (WMD) was considered as the summary effect size. Eight RCTs enrolling 291 participants met the inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis. The overall effect illustrated no significant change in serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (WMD: - 2.04; 95 % CI: - 5.50 to 1.42; P = 0.24; I² = 72.5 %), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (WMD: - 1.40; 95 % CI: - 3.80 to 0.99; P = 0.25; I² = 76.0 %) in intervention group compared with the control group. Subgroup analyses revealed that the effect of grape products on ALT (WMD: - 4.97; 95 % CI: - 8.73 to - 1.21; P = 0.01) and AST (WMD: - 2.89; 95 % CI: - 5.69 to - 0.08; P = 0.04) levels was significant when the intervention period was equal or more than 12 weeks. Overall, grape products had no significant effect on liver enzymes in adults. However, due to the low number of included studies, these findings must be interpreted with great caution. Larger, well-designed RCTs are still needed to further evaluate the capacity of the grape products as a complementary treatment to improve liver enzymes.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent and the second fatal cancer in the world. Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are suggested to be related to various non-communicable diseases including cancers. However, studies on the relationship between UPFs and CRC are scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the association between consumption of UPFs and CRC. In a case-control study conducted in four hospitals in Tehran, Iran, consumption of UPFs in 71 CRC patients and 142 controls (patients with non-neoplastic diseases) were compared. Using 125-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, dietary intakes were assessed. We used Multivariate logistic regression to estimate the association between UPFs intake and risk of CRC. Intake of nondairy beverages (P = 0.009), processed meat and fast food (P = 0.04) was significantly higher in those in the highest tertile of UPFs intake compared to the lowest tertile. In addition, intake of UPFs was associated with higher risk of CRC. The association remained constant after adjustment for BMI, income, smoking, type of job, educational level, and physical activity (OR, 3.32; 95% CI, 1.44–7.61; P = 0.003). Results of this study indicate that the intake of UPFs is associated with increased odds of CRC.

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the association between spicy food (chilli pepper, chilli sauce, or chilli oil) consumption with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Medline and EMBASE were searched from their inception until February 2020 to identify relevant prospective cohort studies. Hazard ratios (HRs)/relative risk (RRs) were pooled via random-effect meta-analysis. Of the 4387 citations identified, 4 studies (from the United States, China, Italy, and Iran) were included in the meta-analysis. The included studies involved a total of 564 748 adults (aged ≥18 years; 51.2% female) followed over a median duration of 9.7 years. The pooled data suggested that compared with people who did not regularly consume spicy food (none/<1 d/wk), regular consumers of spicy food experienced a 12% (HR/RR _pooled 0.88, 95% CI, 0.86-0.90; I ² = 0%) lower risk of all-cause mortality. Moreover, spicy food consumption was associated with significant reduction in the risk of death from cardiac diseases (HR/RR _pooled 0.82, 0.73-0.91; I ² = 0%), but not from cerebrovascular disorders (HR/RR _pooled 0.79, 0.53-1.17; I ² = 72.2%). In conclusion, available epidemiological studies suggest that the consumption of spicy chilli food is associated with reduced risk of all-cause as well as heart disease–related mortality. Further studies in different populations are needed to confirm this association.