Metformin Treatment With or Without Mediterranean Diet for the Prevention of Age-Related Diseases in People With Metabolic Syndrome: The MeMeMe Randomized Trial.

Objective: The Metformin and Dietary Restriction to Prevent Age-Related Morbid Events in People With Metabolic Syndrome (MeMeMe) trial tested whether 1,700 mg/day metformin (MET) with or without a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) intervention could reduce the cumulative incidence of major noncommunicable diseases in people with metabolic syndrome.

Research Design And Methods: A total of 1,442 participants were randomly assigned to one of four interventions: 1) MET (1,700 mg/day) plus MedDiet intervention (MET+MedDiet); 2) placebo plus MedDiet intervention; 3) MET (1,700 mg/day) alone; and 4) placebo alone. Participants were followed up for 3 years on average.

Protocol for the CHINT study: a cross-sectional observational study of risk factors for cancer and other non-communicable diseases in the Chinese community of Milan.

Introduction: The Chinese community in Italy is the largest in Europe. The area of Milan hosts the largest Chinese Italian community-about 41 000 people. Since little is known of the health practices of Chinese persons in Italy, we designed the CHINT study (survey of risk factors for cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Chinese community of Milan) to investigate lifestyle-related risk factors for these diseases in this community.

The Effect of Diet on Breast Cancer Recurrence: The DIANA-5 Randomized Trial.

Purpose: The DIANA-5 randomized controlled trial assessed the effectiveness of a diet based on Mediterranean and macrobiotic traditions (macro-Mediterranean diet) in reducing breast cancer recurrence.

Patients And Methods: The DIANA-5 study involved 1,542 patients with breast cancer at high risk of recurrence because of estrogen receptor-negative cancer, or metabolic syndrome, or high plasma levels of insulin or testosterone. Women were randomly assigned to an active dietary intervention (IG) or a control group (CG).

The DianaWeb cohort during the first COVID-19 lockdown: changes in eating behaviour in women with breast cancer.

Background And Aim Of The Work: Home confinement during the first wave of COVID-19 subverted people's routines and generated a lot of stress among individuals. In addition to the 'pure' mental health consequences-a major public health concern, itself-this stressful situation led to a risk of worsening eating behaviours. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential deterioration of dietary habits in a cohort of women with breast cancer (BC).

How the COVID-19 pandemic has affected eating habits and physical activity in breast cancer survivors: the DianaWeb study.

Purpose: Breast cancer (BC) survivors are increasingly interested in learning about healthy lifestyles to reduce the risk of BC recurrence and mortality. The DianaWeb study, a community-based participatory research, offers BC patients a specific interactive website to help them in adopting and maintain correct lifestyles, in line with World Cancer Research Fund recommendations. However, to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries introduced restrictions which, inevitably, caused sudden lifestyle changes.

Recruitment in randomized clinical trials: The MeMeMe experience.

Introduction: Recruitment is essential for the success of clinical trials. We are conducting a randomized clinical trial to test the effect of a Mediterranean dietary intervention with or without 1700 mg/day of metformin for the prevention of age-related chronic diseases, the MeMeMe trial (Trial registration number: EudraCT number: 2012-005427-32 ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02960711).

Urinary Concentrations of (+)-Catechin and (-)-Epicatechin as Biomarkers of Dietary Intake of Flavan-3-ols in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study.

This study examines the correlation of acute and habitual dietary intake of flavan-3-ol monomers, proanthocyanidins, theaflavins, and their main food sources with the urinary concentrations of (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study (EPIC). Participants (N = 419, men and women) provided 24-h urine samples and completed a 24-h dietary recall (24-HDR) on the same day. Acute and habitual dietary data were collected using a standardized 24-HDR software and a validated dietary questionnaire, respectively.

Food biodiversity and total and cause-specific mortality in 9 European countries: An analysis of a prospective cohort study.

Background: Food biodiversity, encompassing the variety of plants, animals, and other organisms consumed as food and drink, has intrinsic potential to underpin diverse, nutritious diets and improve Earth system resilience. Dietary species richness (DSR), which is recommended as a crosscutting measure of food biodiversity, has been positively associated with the micronutrient adequacy of diets in women and young children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, the relationships between DSR and major health outcomes have yet to be assessed in any population.

Adherence to Dietary Recommendations after One Year of Intervention in Breast Cancer Women: The DIANA-5 Trial.

The Diet and Androgen-5 (DIANA-5) trial aimed at testing whether a dietary change based on the Mediterranean diet and on macrobiotic principles can reduce the incidence of breast cancer (BC)-related events. We analyzed the adherence to the DIANA-5 dietary recommendations by randomization group after 1 year of intervention. We evaluated the association between dietary adherence and changes in body weight and metabolic syndrome (MS) parameters.

Preventive Anti-inflammatory Diet to Reduce Gastrointestinal Inflammation in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis Patients: A Prospective Pilot Study.

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal-dominant hereditary condition associated with germline mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli gene. Patient management involves prophylactic surgery and intensive life-long endoscopic surveillance. Diet is a major concern for patients with FAP, who are generally free of symptoms before surgery but tend to have issues related to bowel function postoperatively.

Adherence to the 2018 WCRF/AICR recommendations and sleep behaviour in people with metabolic syndrome.

Objectives: to investigate the association between the adherence to the 2018 World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) recommendations and the prevalence of parameters of sleep quality and quantity in people with metabolic syndrome (MS).

Design: cross-sectional study.

Setting And Participants: 126 people with MS included in a randomized controlled trial of Mediterranean diet and metformin for the primary prevention of age-related chronic diseases (Me.

Validation of Self-Reported Anthropometric Measures and Body Mass Index in a Subcohort of the DianaWeb Population Study.

Introduction: DianaWeb is a community-based participatory project open to Italian breast cancer patients. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention in improving the prognosis after patients received diagnosis and surgery/chemotherapy. The DianaWeb study uses an interactive Web site (www.

A Pilot Low-Inflammatory Dietary Intervention to Reduce Inflammation and Improve Quality of Life in Patients With Familial Adenomatous Polyposis: Protocol Description and Preliminary Results.

Patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) depend on a lifelong endoscopic surveillance programme and prophylactic surgery, and usually suffer nutritional problems. Intestinal inflammation has been linked to both FAP and colorectal cancer. Epidemiological studies show a relationship between diet and inflammation.

A management system for randomized clinical trials: A novel way to supply medication.

Background: Randomized controlled clinical trials require management effort, involving huge organizational, economic and informatics investments. Information technology offers opportunities to approach clinical trial methodology in new ways. However, there are only a few reports of computerized data and drug management systems.

Healthy lifestyle promotion in primary schools through the board game Kaledo: a pilot cluster randomized trial.

Unlabelled: The board game Kaledo was proven to be effective in improving nutrition knowledge and in modifying dietary behavior in students attending middle and high school. The present pilot study aims to reproduce these results in younger students (7-11 years old) attending primary school. A total of 1313 children from ten schools were recruited to participate in the present study.

A pilot study with early adolescents: dealing with diet, tobacco and air pollution using practical experiences and biological markers.

Background: Tobacco use and the Western diet are two of the most important and investigated topics in relation to adolescents' health. In addition, air pollution is a crucial subject for future generations. School is a key social environment that should promote healthy behaviors in children and adolescents.

A randomized controlled trial of Mediterranean diet and metformin to prevent age-related diseases in people with metabolic syndrome.

Purpose: Age-related non-communicable chronic diseases (ArCDs) are the leading cause of mortality. The major metabolic risk factor for their development is the metabolic syndrome (MetS), defined as a clustering of risk factors of metabolic origin such as abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia and high fasting glycemia. There is increasing observational and experimental evidence that improving diet and the use of metformin (a calorie-restriction mimetic drug) may modify the risk of developing MetS and ArCD.

Protective Effect of Aerobic Physical Activity on Sleep Behavior in Breast Cancer Survivors.

Hypotheses: Sleep disorders are associated with an increased risk of cancer, including breast cancer (BC). Physical activity (PA) can produce beneficial effects on sleep.

Study Design: We designed a randomized controlled trial to test the effect of 3 months of physical activity on sleep and circadian rhythm activity level evaluated by actigraphy.

Community-based participatory research to improve life quality and clinical outcomes of patients with breast cancer (DianaWeb in Umbria pilot study).

Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent cancer in Europe and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has estimated over 460 000 incident cases per year. Survival among patients with BC has increased in the past decades and EUROCARE-5 has estimated a 5-year relative survival rate of 82% for patients diagnosed in 2000-2007. There is growing evidence that lifestyle (such as a diet based on Mediterranean principles associated with moderate physical activity) may influence prognosis of BC; however, this information is not currently available to patients and is not considered in oncology protocols.

[DianaWeb: a demonstration project to improve breast cancer prognosis through lifestyles].

In the field of cancer prevention, the public ask to be involved more actively in scientific research and in the production of knowledge. This is leading to an increase of participatory projects in the field of epidemiology. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has received considerable attention in the past 15 years; it is becoming a recognized and important approach in addressing health disparities in cancer prevention.

Adherence to WCRF/AICR cancer prevention recommendations and metabolic syndrome in breast cancer patients.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), conventionally defined by the presence of at least three out of five dismetabolic traits (abdominal obesity, hypertension, low plasma HDL-cholesterol and high plasma glucose and triglycerides), has been associated with both breast cancer (BC) incidence and prognosis. We investigated the association between the prevalence of MetS and a score of adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) recommendations for the prevention of cancer in a cross-sectional study of BC patients. The DIet and ANdrogen-5 study (DIANA-5) for the prevention of BC recurrences recruited 2092 early stage BC survivors aged 35-70.

Metabolic syndrome and breast cancer prognosis.

Metabolic syndrome (MS), conventionally defined by the presence of at least three out of five dysmetabolic traits (abdominal obesity, hypertension, low plasma HDL-cholesterol, high plasma glucose and high triglycerides), has been associated with an increased risk of several age-related chronic diseases, including breast cancer (BC). This may have prognostic implications for BC survivors. 2,092 early stage BC survivors aged 35-70, recruited in eleven Italian centres 0-5 years after surgical treatment (1.

Kaledo, a board game for nutrition education of children and adolescents at school: cluster randomized controlled trial of healthy lifestyle promotion.

Unlabelled: During childhood and adolescence, a game could be an effective educational tool to learn healthy eating habits. We developed Kaledo, a new board game, to promote nutrition education and to improve dietary behavior. A two-group design with one pre-treatment assessment and two post-treatment assessments was employed.

Lifestyle and breast cancer recurrences: the DIANA-5 trial.

Aims And Background: The DIANA (Diet and Androgens)-5 study is a multi-institutional randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of a diet based on Mediterranean and macrobiotic recipes and principles, associated with moderate physical activity, in reducing additional breast cancer events in women with early stage invasive breast cancer at high risk of recurrence because of metabolic or endocrine milieu. The intervention is expected to reduce serum insulin and sex hormones, which were associated with breast prognosis in previous studies.

Methods: Between 2008 and 2010, the study randomly assigned 1208 patients to an intensive diet and exercise intervention or to a comparison group, to be followed-up through 2015.

Nutritional advice to breast cancer survivors.

Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) survivors are constantly increasing, and research investment for the identification of modifiable factors associated with BC recurrences is increasing too. The Western lifestyle, characterized by low levels of physical activity and a diet rich in refined carbohydrates, animal fats, and protein, is associated with high prevalence of metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and high serum levels of sex hormones and growth factors.

Discussion: The present work summarizes the association between all these metabolic and hormonal factors with the risk of BC and BC recurrences.