Authors: Nuttens MC, Romon M, Ruidavets JB, Arveiler D, Ducimetiere P, Lecerf JM, Richard JL, Cambou JP, Simon C, Salomez JL.

Institution: MONICA Communaute Urbaine de Lille, France.

Summary: The association between smoking habits and diet was examined in a sample of 1126 men, aged 45-64 years, from the general population living in the three French MONICA monitoring areas: Bas-Rhin (BR) (n = 346), Haute-Garonne (HG) (n = 400) and Urban Community of Lille (UCL) (n = 380). Diet was assessed by the 3-day record method.

The energy and nutrient intakes were calculated for each of the 3 centres, using the same food composition tables. Alcohol consumption was higher among smokers (P less than 0.001). Taking into account alcohol consumption, age, body mass index, centre, educational level and family size, the analyses showed no difference in non-alcoholic energy intake, proteins, carbohydrates, and total fat. However, smokers had a lower intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (P less than 0.05) and dietary fibre (P less than 0.01) than non-smokers.

With regard to food items, smokers had a higher intake of sucrose (P less than 0.05) and a lower intake of vegetables (P less than 0.001), dairy products (P less than 0.05) and cheese (P less than 0.05). These results suggest that analyses in future epidemiological research regarding the role of diet in the aetiology of tobacco-related diseases should consider this association of potential risk factors.

Study link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=1588258&dopt=Abstract

Authors: Margetts BM, Jackson AA.

Institution: Institute of Human Nutrition, University of Southampton.

Objective: To compare diet, nutrient intakes, and biochemical measures between smokers and non-smokers.

Results: Smokers ate more white bread, sugar, cooked meat dishes, butter, and whole milk and less wholemeal bread, high fibre breakfast cereals, fruit, and carrots. Smokers had lower intakes of polyunsaturated fat, protein, carbohydrate, fibre, iron, carotene, and ascorbic acid. Adjusting for other covariates did not substantially alter the pattern of intakes. At the same dietary intake of carotenoids smokers were more likely to have lower circulating serum beta carotene concentrations than non-smokers.

Conclusion: The diet and nutrient intakes and circulating levels of nutrients of smokers were different from those of non-smokers. Smokers were more likely to have an imbalance between the dietary intake of antioxidant nutrients and the metabolic demand for antioxidant protection. This imbalance is likely to make smokers more susceptible to oxidative damage.

Smokers are at increased risk of chronic disease because their diets are different and because smoking creates an altered pattern of demand for specific nutrients. The diets of smokers not only fail to meet the unusual requirements for specific nutrients to satisfy the altered pattern of demand but are likely to exacerbate the damage caused by smoking.

Study link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=8274889&query_hl=40&itool=pubmed_DocSum

Authors: Dyer AR, Elliott P, Stamler J, Chan Q, Ueshima H, Zhou BF; INTERMAP Research Group.

Institution: Department of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611-4402, USA. adyer@northwestern.edu

Summary: This report examines dietary intakes in smokers, ex-smokers, and never smokers in INTERMAP. The 4680 participants aged 40-59 years-from 17 population samples in four countries (China, Japan, UK, USA)-provided four 24-h recalls to assess nutrient intakes and two 24-h urine collections to assess excretion of urea, sodium (Na), potassium (K), etc.

Compared to never smokers, current smokers generally consumed more energy from alcohol and saturated fats (SFA), less energy from vegetable protein and carbohydrates, less dietary fibre, vitamin E, beta carotene, vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, folate, vitamin B6, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium (Mg), and K per 1000 kcal, excreted less K and urea (marker of dietary protein), had a lower ratio of polyunsaturated fat (PFA) to SFA intake, higher Keys dietary lipid score, and higher dietary and urinary Na/K.

In conclusion, INTERMAP results are consistent with other reports indicating that smokers have less healthful diets than nonsmokers. Public health interventions in smokers should focus not only on helping them to quit smoking but also on improving their diets to further reduce cancer and cardiovascular disease risks.

Study link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=13679954&query_hl=33&itool=pubmed_docsum

Authors: Bennett AE, Howell RW, Doll R.

Study link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=4191871&query_hl=29&itool=pubmed_docsum