Authors: Lee Ingle, Samantha Ruilova, Yunsong Cui, Vanessa DeClercq, Ellen Sweeney, Zhijie Michael Yu, Cynthia C. Forbes Journal: Cancer Causes and Control Abstract Purpose To determine in people with a history of cancer, whether substituting sitting time with other daily activities (i.e., sleeping, walking, moderate and vigorous physical activity) was associated with changes in waist circumference (WC), an important surrogate marker of cardiometabolic risk. Methods Cross-sectional analyses from the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (Atlantic PATH) cohort was conducted using isotemporal substitution models to explore the associations of substituting sedentary time, physical activity behavior (International Physical Activity Questionnaire), or sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) with changes in WC. Analyses were conducted using sex-specific WC classifications. Results In 3,684 people with a history of cancer [mean age (SD) 58.2 (7.3) years; BMI 28.9 (5.2) kg m−2; 71% female], reallocating 10 min of sleep or sedentary time for 10 min of walking was associated with lower WC in women (p < 0.01). In men, PA intensity appeared to be more strongly associated with a reduced WC. Replacing 10 min of sedentary time with 10 min of moderate or vigorous PA and replacing 10 min of sleep with moderate PA were associated with a significantly reduced WC (p < 0.001). The largest effect was when 10 min of moderate PA was replaced with vigorous PA, a reduction in WC (p < 0.01) was evident. Conclusion For people with a history of cancer, adopting small but positive changes in lifestyle behaviors could help reduce WC and potentially offset negative health-related outcomes associated with higher WC. Further research is required to examine whether such an intervention may be acceptable and manageable among this population.   Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10552-022-01592-9

Journal: Cancer Causes and Control Authors: Rachel A. Murphy,  Maryam Darvishian, Jia Qi, Yixian Chen, Quincy Chu, Jennifer Vena, Trevor J. B. Dummer, Nhu Le, Ellen Sweeney, Vanessa DeClercq, Scott A. Grandy, Melanie R. Keats, Yunsong Cui, Philip Awadalla, Darren R. Brenner & Parveen Bhatti   Abstract Background Although smoking is the primary risk factor for lung cancer, 15–25% of lung cancers occur in never smokers. Emerging evidence suggests lifestyle factors are associated with lung cancer risk, but few studies among never smokers exist. Methods A case–control study of never smokers within the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health was conducted. At recruitment, participants provided data on lifestyle, health history and sociodemographic factors. Incident lung cancers were identified through linkage with administrative health records. Cases (n = 190) were matched to controls (n = 760) on age, sex, and follow-up time. Logistic regression analyses, adjusted for matching factors and annual income, were used to identify associations between lifestyle factors and lung cancer risk. Results Consumption of < 5 servings of fruits and vegetables/day was associated with higher risk of lung cancer (OR  1.50, 95% CI 1.03–2.17). Short or long sleep (≤ 6 or > 9 h/night) was also associated with increased risk of lung cancer (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.01–2.29). No associations were observed for obesity measures, alcohol consumption, or physical activity. Conclusion Our findings provide evidence of a potential role between sleep, fruits and vegetable consumption, and lung cancer risk in a pan-Canadian, non-smoking population. However, the sample size is modest, and further investigation is needed. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-022-01566-x

Authors: Vanessa DeClercq, Jacob T. Nearing, and Morgan G.I. Langille Journal: PLOS One Abstract Background: Commonly used medications produce changes in the gut microbiota, however, the impact of these medications on the composition of the oral microbiota is understudied. Methods: Saliva samples were obtained from 846 females and 368 males aged 35-69 years from a Canadian population cohort, the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (PATH). Samples were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and differences in microbial community compositions between nonusers, single-, and multi-drug users as well as the 3 most commonly used medications (thyroid hormones, statins, and proton pump inhibitors (PPI)) were examined. Results: Twenty-six percent of participants were taking 1 medication and 21% were reported taking 2 or more medications. Alpha diversity indices of Shannon diversity, Evenness, Richness, and Faith’s phylogenetic diversity were similar among groups, likewise beta diversity as measured by Bray-Curtis dissimilarity (R2 = 0.0029, P = 0.053) and weighted UniFrac distances (R2 = 0.0028, P = 0.161) were non-significant although close to our alpha value threshold (P = 0.05). After controlling for covariates (sex, age, BMI), six genera (Saprospiraceae uncultured, Bacillus, Johnsonella, Actinobacillus, Stenotrophomonas, and Mycoplasma) were significantly different from non-medication users. Thyroid hormones, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) and PPI were the most reported medications. Shannon diversity differed significantly among those taking no medication and those taking only thyroid hormones, however, there were no significant difference in other measures of alpha- or beta diversity with single thyroid hormone, statin, or PPI use. Compared to participants taking no medications, the relative abundance of eight genera differed significantly in participants taking thyroid hormones, six genera differed in participants taking statins, and no significant differences were observed with participants taking PPI. Conclusion: The results from this study show negligible effect of commonly used medications on microbial diversity and small differences in the relative abundance of specific taxa, suggesting a minimal influence of commonly used medication on the salivary microbiome of individuals living without major chronic conditions. Doi 10.1371/journal.pone.0261032