Person: Willett, Walter
Loading...
Email Address
AA Acceptance Date
Birth Date
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Job Title
Last Name
Willett
First Name
Walter
Name
Willett, Walter
414 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 414
Publication Dietary Patterns and Pancreatic Cancer Risk in Men and Women(Oxford University Press, 2005) Michaud, D. S.; Skinner, H. G.; Wu, K.; Hu, F.; Giovannucci, E.; Willett, Walter; Colditz, G. A.; Fuchs, C. S.Background: Diabetes appears to be associated with the development of pancreatic cancer. Three large prospective cohort studies observed a statistically significant relation between obesity and pancreatic cancer risk. Dietary patterns have been associated with fasting insulin levels and risk of diabetes. To determine whether dietary patterns are associated with pancreatic cancer risk, we analyzed data from two large prospective cohort studies. Methods: We combined data for men and women to obtain a total of 366 cases of incident pancreatic cancer from a total of 124 672 eligible participants. Dietary data were obtained from food frequency questionnaires in 1986 for men and in 1984 for women. We identified two major dietary patterns, prudent and western, by factor analysis. The prudent pattern was characterized by high fruit and vegetable intake; the western pattern was characterized by high meat and high fat intakes. Multivariable relative risks (RRs) were adjusted for potential confounders, including smoking and body mass index. Results: In the pooled analysis of men and women, no associations were observed between the prudent pattern (RR = 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.66 to 2.63, for highest versus lowest quintile) or the western pattern (RR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.57 to 1.47, for highest versus lowest quintile) and the risk of pancreatic cancer. Stratifying by body mass index or physical activity did not change the associations. Conclusion: Dietary patterns were not associated with the risk of pancreatic cancer in two large cohort studies of men and women.Publication Total antioxidant intake in relation to prostate cancer incidence in the Health Professionals Follow up Study(Wiley, 2014) Russnes, Kjell M.; Wilson, Kathryn M.; Epstein, Mara M.; Kasperzyk, Julie L.; Stampfer, Meir; Kenfield, Stacey A.; Smeland, Sigbjørn; Blomhoff, Rune; Giovannucci, Edward L.; Willett, Walter; Mucci, Lorelei A.Epidemiologic evidence on the association of antioxidant intake and prostate cancer incidence is inconsistent. Total antioxidant intake and prostate cancer incidence have not previously been examined. Using the ferric-reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assay, the total antioxidant content (TAC) of diet and supplements was assessed in relation to prostate cancer incidence. A prospective cohort of 47,896 men aged 40-75 years was followed from 1986 to 2008 for prostate cancer incidence (N = 5,656), and they completed food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) every 4 years. A FRAP value was assigned to each item in the FFQ, and for each individual, TAC scores for diet, supplements and both (total) were calculated. Major contributors of TAC intake at baseline were coffee (28%), fruit and vegetables (23%) and dietary supplements (23%). In multivariate analyses for dietary TAC a weak inverse association was observed [highest versus lowest quintiles: 0.91 (0.83-1.00, p-trend = 0.03) for total prostate cancer and 0.81 (0.64-1.01, p-trend = 0.04) for advanced prostate cancer]; this association was mainly due to coffee. No association of total TAC on prostate cancer incidence was observed. A positive association with lethal and advanced prostate cancers was observed in the highest quintile of supplemental TAC intake: 1.28 (0.98-1.65, p-trend < 0.01) and 1.15 (0.92-1.43, p-trend = 0.04). The weak association between dietary antioxidant intake and reduced prostate cancer incidence may be related to specific antioxidants in coffee, to nonantioxidant coffee compounds or other effects of drinking coffee. The indication of increased risk for lethal and advanced prostate cancers with high TAC intake from supplements warrants further investigation.Publication Use of Aspirin, Other Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs, and Acetaminophen and Risk of Breast Cancer Among Premenopausal Women in the Nurses' Health Study II(American Medical Association, 2009) Eliassen, A. Heather; Chen, Wendy Y.; Spiegelman, Donna; Willett, Walter; Hunter, David J.; Hankinson, Susan E.Background: The use of aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs) is widespread for treatment of common symptoms such as headaches, muscular pain, and inflammation. In addition, the chemopreventive use of NSAIDs is increasingly common for heart disease and colon cancer. Evidence of a protective association with breast cancer risk has been inconsistent, and few data exist for premenopausal women.Methods: We assessed the associations for use of aspirin, other NSAIDs, and acetaminophen with breast cancer risk among premenopausal women in the prospective Nurses' Health Study II. In total, 112 292 women, aged 25 to 42 years and free of cancer in 1989, were followed up until June 2003. Multivariate relative risks and 95% confidence intervals were calculated by Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for age and other important breast cancer risk factors. Results: Overall, 1345 cases of invasive premenopausal breast cancer were documented. Regular use of aspirin (>= 2 times per week) was not significantly associated with breast cancer risk ( relative risk, 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 0.89-1.29). Regular use of either non-aspirin NSAIDs or acetaminophen also was not consistently associated with breast cancer risk. Results did not vary by frequency ( days per week), dose ( tablets per week), or duration of use. Furthermore, associations with each drug category did not vary substantially by estrogen and progesterone receptor status of the tumor. Conclusion: These data suggest that the use of aspirin, other NSAIDs, and acetaminophen is not associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer among premenopausal women.Publication Risk factors for prostate cancer incidence and progression in the health professionals follow-up study(Wiley, 2007) Giovannucci, Edward; Liu, Yan; Platz, Elizabeth A.; Stampfer, Meir; Willett, WalterRisk factors for prostate cancer could differ for various subgroups, such as for "aggressive" and "non-aggressive" cancers or by grade or stage. Determinants of mortality could differ from those for incidence. Using data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, we re-examined 10 factors (cigarette smoking history, physical activity, BMI, family history of prostate cancer, race, height, total energy consumption, and intakes of calcium, tomato sauce and alpha-linolenic acid) using multivariable Cox regression in relation to multiple subcategories for prostate cancer risk. These were factors that we previously found to be predictors of prostate cancer incidence or advanced prostate cancer in this cohort, and that have some support in the literature. In this analysis, only 4 factors had a clear statistically significant association with overall incident prostate cancer: African-American race, positive family history, higher tomato sauce intake (inversely) and a-linolenic acid intake. In contrast, for fatal prostate cancer, recent smoking history, taller height, higher BMI, family history, and high intakes of total energy, calcium and alpha-linolenic acid were associated with a statistically significant increased risk. Higher vigorous physical activity level was associated with lower risk. In relation to these risk factors, advanced stage at diagnosis was a good surrogate for fatal prostate cancer, but high-grade (Gleason >= 7 or Gleason >= 8) was not. Only for high calcium intake was there a close correspondence for associations among high-grade cancer, advanced and fatal prostate cancer. Tomato sauce (inversely) and alpha-linolenic acid (positively) intakes were strong predictors of advanced cancer among those with low-grade cancers at diagnosis. Although the proportion of advanced stage cancers was much lower after PSA screening began, risk factors for advanced stage prostate cancers were similar in the pre-PSA and PSA era. The complexity of the clinical and pathologic manifestations of prostate cancer must be considered in the design and interpretation of studies.Publication Body Size and Fat Distribution as Predictors of Stroke among US Men(1996) Walker, S. P.; Rimm, Eric Bruce::0ab2926c8242f35e5a982e3cf59f4987::600; Ascherio, A.; Kawachi, I.; Stampfer, Meir; Willett, WalterPublication Trans-fatty acids intake and risk of myocardial infarction(American Heart Association, 1994) Ascherio, A.; Hennekens, C. H.; Buring, J. E.; Master, C.; Stampfer, Meir; Willett, WalterPublication Body size and risk of kidney stones(American Society of Nephrology, 1998) Curhan, G. C.; Willett, Walter; Rimm, Eric Bruce::0ab2926c8242f35e5a982e3cf59f4987::600; Speizer, F. E.; Stampfer, MeirA variety of factors influence the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones, including gender, diet, and urinary excretion of calcium, oxalate, and uric acid. Several of these factors may be related to body size. Because men on average have a larger body size and a threefold higher lifetime risk of stone formation than women, body size may be an important risk factor for calcium oxalate stone formation. The association between body size (height, weight, and body mass index) and the risk of kidney stone formation was studied in two large cohorts: the Nurses' Health Study (NHS; n = 89,376 women) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS; n = 51,529 men). Information on body size, kidney stone formation, and other exposures of interest was obtained by mailed questionnaires. A total of 1078 incident cases of kidney stones in NHS during 14 yr of follow-up and a total of 956 cases in HPFS during 8 yr of follow-up were confirmed. In both cohorts, the prevalence of a stone disease history and the incidence of stone disease were directly associated with weight and body mass index. However, the magnitude of the associations was consistently greater among women. Specifically, the age-adjusted prevalence odds ratio for women with body mass index greater than or equal to 32 kg/m(2) compared with 21 to 22.9 kg/m(2) was 1.76 (95% confidence interval, 1.50 to 2.07), but 1.38 (95% confidence interval, 1.16 to 1.65) for the same comparison in men. For incident stone formation, the multivariate relative risks for the similar comparisons were 1.89 (1.51 to 2.36) for women and 1.19 (0.83 to 1.70) in men. Height was inversely associated with the prevalence of stone disease but was not associated with incident stone formation. These results suggest that body size is associated with the risk of stone formation and that the magnitude of risk varies by gender. Additional studies are necessary to determine whether a reduction in body weight decreases the risk of stone formation, particularly in women.Publication Antioxidant vitamins and coronary heart disease risk : a pooled analysis of 9 cohorts.(Oxford University Press, 2004) Knekt, Paul; Ritz, John; Pereira, Mark A.; O'Reilly, Eilis J.; Augustsson, Katarina; Fraser, Gary E.; Goldbourt, Uri; Heitmann, Berit L.; Hallmans, Göran; Liu, Simin; Pietinen, Pirjo; Spiegelman, Donna; Stevens, June; Virtamo, Jarmo; Willett, Walter; Rimm, Eric Bruce::0ab2926c8242f35e5a982e3cf59f4987::600; Ascherio, AlbertoBackground: Epidemiologic studies have suggested a lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) at higher intakes of fruit, vegetables, and whole grain. Whether this association is due to antioxidant vitamins or some other factors remains unclear. Objective: We studied the relation between the intake of antioxidant vitamins and CHD risk. Design: A cohort study pooling 9 prospective studies that included information on intakes of vitamin E, carotenoids, and vitamin C and that met specific criteria was carried out. During a 10-y follow-up, 4647 major incident CHD events occurred in 293 172 subjects who were free of CHD at baseline. Results: Dietary intake of antioxidant vitamins was only weakly related to a reduced CHD risk after adjustment for potential nondietary and dietary confounding factors. Compared with subjects in the lowest dietary intake quintiles for vitamins E and C, those in the highest intake quintiles had relative risks of CHD incidence of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.71, 1.00; P = 0.17) and 1.23 (1.04, 1.45; P = 0.07), respectively, and the relative risks for subjects in the highest intake quintiles for the various carotenoids varied from 0.90 to 0.99. Subjects with higher supplemental vitamin C intake had a lower CHD incidence. Compared with subjects who did not take supplemental vitamin C, those who took >700 mg supplemental vitamin C/d had a relative risk of CHD incidence of 0.75 (0.60, 0.93; P for trend < 0.001). Supplemental vitamin E intake was not significantly related to reduced CHD risk. Conclusions: The results suggest a reduced incidence of major CHD events at high supplemental vitamin C intakes. The risk reductions at high vitamin E or carotenoid intakes appear small.Publication Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer(American Association for Cancer Research, 2012) Wolpin, Brian M.; Ng, Kimmie; Bao, Ying; Kraft, Peter; Stampfer, Meir; Michaud, Dominique S.; Ma, Jing; Buring, Julie E.; Sesso, Howard D.; Lee, I-Min; Rifai, Nader; Cochrane, Barbara B.; Wactawski-Wende, Jean; Chlebowski, Rowan T.; Willett, Walter; Manson, JoAnn E.; Giovannucci, Edward L.; Fuchs, Charles S.Background: Laboratory studies suggest that vitamin D may inhibit pancreatic cancer cell growth. However, epidemiologic studies of vitamin D and pancreatic cancer risk have been conflicting. Methods: To determine whether prediagnostic levels of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D; IDS Inc.; enzyme immunoassay) were associated with risk of pancreatic cancer, we conducted a pooled analysis of nested case-control studies with 451 cases and 1,167 controls from five cohorts through 2008. Median follow-up among controls was 14.1 years in Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS), 18.3 years in Nurses' Health Study (NHS), 25.3 years in Physicians' Health Study (PHS), 12.2 years in Women's Health Initiative-Observational Study (WHI), and 14.4 years in Women's Health Study (WHS). Logistic regression was used to compare the odds of pancreatic cancer by plasma level of 25(OH) D. Results: Mean plasma 25(OH) D was lower in cases versus controls (61.3 vs. 64.5 nmol/L, P = 0.005). In logistic regression models, plasma 25(OH) D was inversely associated with odds of pancreatic cancer. Participants in quintiles two through five had multivariable-adjusted ORs (95% confidence intervals) of 0.79 (0.56-1.10), 0.75 (0.53-1.06), 0.68 (0.48-0.97), and 0.67 (0.46-0.97; P(trend) = 0.03), respectively, compared with the bottom quintile. Compared with those with insufficient levels [25[OH] D, < 50 nmol/L], ORs were 0.75 (0.58-0.98) for subjects with relative insufficiency [25[OH] D, 50 to <75 nmol/L] and 0.71 (0.52-0.97) for those with sufficient levels [25[OH] D, >= 75 nmol/L]. No increased risk was noted in subjects with 25(OH) D >= 100 nmol/L, as suggested in a prior study. In subgroup analyses, ORs for the top versus bottom quartile of 25(OH) D were 0.72 (0.48-1.08) for women, 0.73 (0.40-1.31) for men, and 0.73 (0.51-1.03) for Whites. Conclusions: Among participants in five large prospective cohorts, higher plasma levels of 25(OH) D were associated with a lower risk for pancreatic cancer.Impact: Low circulating 25(OH) D may predispose individuals to the development of pancreatic cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(1); 82-91.Publication Sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverage consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in men(Oxford University Press, 2011) Koning, Lawrence de; Malik, Vasanti S.; Rimm, Eric Bruce::0ab2926c8242f35e5a982e3cf59f4987::600; Willett, Walter; Hu, Frank B.Background: Sugar-sweetened beverages are risk factors for type 2 diabetes; however, the role of artificially sweetened beverages is unclear. Objective: The objective was to examine the associations of sugar- and artificially sweetened beverages with incident type 2 diabetes. Design: An analysis of healthy men (n = 40,389) from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, a prospective cohort study, was performed. Cumulatively averaged intakes of sugar-sweetened (sodas, fruit punches, lemonades, fruit drinks) and artificially sweetened (diet sodas, diet drinks) beverages from food-frequency questionnaires were tested for associations with type 2 diabetes by using Cox regression. Results: There were 2680 cases over 20 y of follow-up. After age adjustment, the hazard ratio (HR) for the comparison of the top with the bottom quartile of sugar-sweetened beverage intake was 1.25 (95% CI: 1.11, 1.39; P for trend < 0.01). After adjustment for confounders, including multivitamins, family history, high triglycerides at baseline, high blood pressure, diuretics, pre-enrollment weight change, dieting, total energy, and body mass index, the HR was 1.24 (95% CI: 1.09, 1.40; P for trend < 0.01). Intake of artificially sweetened beverages was significantly associated with type 2 diabetes in the age-adjusted analysis (HR: 1.91; 95% CI: 1.72, 2.11; P for trend < 0.01) but not in the multivariate-adjusted analysis (HR: 1.09; 95% CI: 0.98, 1.21; P for trend = 0.13). The replacement of one serving of sugar-sweetened beverage with 1 cup (approximate to 237 mL) of coffee was associated with a risk reduction of 17%. Conclusion: Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption is associated with a significantly elevated risk of type 2 diabetes, whereas the association between artificially sweetened beverages and type 2 diabetes was largely explained by health status, pre-enrollment weight change, dieting, and body mass index. Am J Clin Nutr 2011;93:1321-7.