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Epidemiology

Fruit and vegetable intake and smoking cessation

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

In cohort studies, fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake is associated with lower cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Former smokers often have a higher F&V intake than current smokers. If a high intake of F&V precedes smoking cessation, the latter may explain the favorable association between F&V intake and CVD among smokers. The objective was to assess whether higher F&V intake precedes smoking cessation.

Subjects/Methods:

The study population comprised 1056 male smokers from Lille (France) and Belfast (Northern Ireland) aged 50–59 years on inclusion in 1991. At baseline, participants completed self-administered questionnaires related to smoking habits, demographic, socioeconomic factors and diet. At the 10-year follow-up, smoking habits were assessed by mailed questionnaire.

Results:

After 10 years, 590 out of 1056 smokers had quit smoking (70.7% of smoker in Lille and 37.8% in Belfast). After adjusting for center, consumption of F&V was associated with quitting (odds ratio (OR) for high versus low F&V intake: 1.73; 95% confidence interval (CI): (1.22–2.45); P-trend=0.002). After further adjustment for sociodemographic factors, body mass index and medical diet, the association was still statistically significant (OR: 1.59; 95% CI (1.12–2.27); P-trend=0.01). In a model fully adjusted for age, smoking intensity, alcohol consumption and physical activity, the association was no longer significant (P=0.14).

Conclusions:

Higher F&V intake precedes smoking cessation. Hence, smoking cessation could affect the causal interpretation of the association between F&V and CVD in smokers.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the following organizations for facilitating the recruitment of the PRIME subjects: the Health ScreeningCentres coordinated by the Social Security Department in Lille (Institut Pasteur), Strasbourg, Toulouse and Tourcoing; the Occupational Medicine Services in the Haute-Garonne county and the Strasbourg Urban Area; the Association Interenterprises des Services Medicaux du Travail de Lille et environs; the Comité pour le Développement de la Médecine du Travail; the Mutuelle Générale des PTT du Bas-Rhin; the Laboratoire d’Analyses de l’Institut de Chimie Biologique de la Faculté de Médecine de Strasbourg; and the Department of Health (NI) and the Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke Association. We also thank the external members of the event validation committees (Professor L Guize, Dr CMorrison, Dr M-T Guillanneuf and Professor M Giroud) and the Alliance Partnership Program for its financial support. The PRIME study was supported by grants from INSERM, the Lille Pasteur Institute and the Merck, Sharpand Dohme-Chibret Laboratory.

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Poisson, T., Dallongeville, J., Evans, A. et al. Fruit and vegetable intake and smoking cessation. Eur J Clin Nutr 66, 1247–1253 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2012.70

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