Background: As pancreatic cancer (PC) is a malignancy with poor prognosis, finding strategies for its prevention became a notable priority. Among all the factors influencing the risk of PC, dietary items especially fats are considered as the most modifiable risk factors.This study is designed to assess the associations of dietary intake of fatty acids with the risk of PC incidence. Methods: A total of 50,045 adults between 40 and 75 years old participated in this cohort study in 2004–2008 and were followed up to the present. Intakes of fatty acids was evaluated by validated food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate hazard ratio (HR) with 95 % confidence interval of differing levels of dietary intakes of fatty acids for incidence of PC. Results: At the end of follow-up period, 76 cases of PC were identified and 46,904 participants without history of cancer, acute kidney disorders, fibrosis and cirrhosis were included in the study. Dietary total saturated fatty acids (SFAS) was associated with PC risk (HR = 1.05 (1.01–1.09), P_trend=0.01), whereas dietary total monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAS) was inversely associated with the risk of PC (HR = 0.92 (0.86–0.99), P_trend=0.04). Dietary total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAS) did show a protective but not significant association with the risk of PC (HR = 0.91(0.84-1.00), P_trend=0.05). Conclusions: The amount of total fat intake is not a risk factor for PC in our study and focusing on the intake of specific fatty acids becomes more striking. Unsaturated fatty acids including PUFAS and especially MUFAS are considered as protective dietary factors in PC prevention. In contrast, total SFAS is positively associated with the increased risk of PC. However, very long chain and odd-chain saturated fatty acids intake may be protective against PC.

Background: Socioeconomic-related inequality in oral hygiene behaviors in Iran is poorly understood. This study aims to measure and decompose socioeconomic-related inequalities in oral hygiene behaviors among middle-aged and elderly adults in Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed using data from the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN), a large national cohort study. A total of 130,016 individuals aged 35 years and above from 17 cohort centers in Iran were included in the study. The normalized concentration index (C_n) was used to measure the magnitude of inequality in oral hygiene behaviors, i.e. brushing at least twice and flossing once daily, among middle-aged and elderly Iranian adults included in the cohort centers. Decomposition analysis was performed to quantify the contribution of each determinant to the observed inequality in oral hygiene behaviors. Results: Totally, 65.5% of middle-aged and elderly adults brushed their teeth twice a day or more, 7.6% flossed at least once a day and 3.48% had both habits. The estimated C_n of the two habits combined, i.e. tooth brushing and dental flossing, for all provinces taken part in the PERSIAN cohort study was 0.399 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.383 to 0.417), indicating that the prevalence of the two habits combined is more concentrated among individuals with higher socioeconomic status. Inequality in oral hygiene behaviors was pro-rich in all cohort centers. The decomposition results suggested socioeconomic status as the main factor contributing to the overall inequality, followed by the level of education, and the province of residence. Conclusion: A low prevalence of oral hygiene behaviors among middle-aged and elderly Iranian adults was observed. There was also a pro-rich inequality in oral hygiene behaviors among middle-aged and elderly adults in all cohort centers. These results suggest an urgent need for targeted policy interventions to increase the prevalence of preventive oral hygiene behaviors among the poor and less-educated middle-aged and elderly adults in Iran.

Associations between mineral intake and mortality in non-Western countries have not been studied adequately. This study evaluated these associations in the Golestan Cohort Study, featuring a Middle Eastern population. The mineral intake was estimated from the baseline food frequency questionnaire, adjusted by using the nutrient density method, and divided into quintiles. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the mortality. We analyzed 41,863 subjects with a mean age of 51.46 ± 8.73 years at the baseline. During 578,694 person-years of follow-up (median: 14.1 Years), 7217 deaths were recorded. Dietary calcium intake was inversely associated with the all-cause mortality (HR_{Q5 vs. Q1} = 0.91, 95%CI = 0.85–0.99). We observed significant associations between calcium (HR_{Q5 vs. Q1} = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.73–0.93), copper (HR_{Q5 vs. Q1} = 1.11, 95% CI = 0.99–1.26), and selenium intake (HR_{Q5 vs. Q1} = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.01–1.29) and CVD mortality. Dietary phosphorus (HR_{Q5 vs. Q1} = 0.81, 95%CI = 0.69–0.96) and copper intake (HR_{Q5 vs. Q1} = 0.84, 95%CI = 0.71–0.99) were inversely associated with cancer mortality. In this study within a Middle Eastern population, a higher dietary intake of calcium exhibited an inverse association with all-cause mortality. Furthermore, nuanced associations were observed in the cause-specific mortality, suggesting potential avenues for dietary interventions and emphasizing the importance of considering dietary factors in public health strategies.

Controversy exists regarding the association of dietary advanced glycation end products (dAGEs) with the risk of disease outcomes and mortality. We aimed to examine, prospectively, the association between dAGEs intake and the risk of overall and cause-specific mortality in the Golestan Cohort Study. The cohort was conducted between 2004 and 2008 in Golestan Province (Iran) recruiting 50,045 participants aged 40–75 years. Assessment of dietary intake over the last year was performed at baseline using a 116-item food frequency questionnaire. The dAGEs values for each individual were calculated based on published databases of AGE values of various food items. The main outcome was overall mortality at the time of follow-up (13.5 years). Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall and cause-specific mortality were estimated according to the dAGEs quintiles. During 656, 532 person-years of follow-up, 5406 deaths in men and 4722 deaths in women were reported. Participants at the highest quintile of dAGE had a lower risk of overall mortality (HR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.84, 0.95), CVD mortality (HR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.84, 0.95), and death from other causes (HR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.84, 0.95) compared to those in the first quintile after adjusting for confounders. We found no association of dAGEs with risk of mortality from cancer (all), respiratory and infectious diseases, and injuries. Our findings do not confirm a positive association between dAGEs and the risk of mortality in Iranian adults. There is still no agreement among studies investigating dAGEs and their health-related aspects. So, further high-quality studies are required to clarify this association.