QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Koh, W.-P. Articles by Yu, M. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Koh, W.-P. Articles by Yu, M. C.

---

Nutritional Epidemiology

Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Men and Women in Singapore Who Smoke Have Less Healthy Diets and Lifestyles than Nonsmokers¹

Department of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore and ^* University of Minnesota Cancer Center, Minneapolis, MN 55455

²To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: cofkwp{at}nus.edu.sg.

Although studies in Western populations have shown that smokers have decreased dietary intakes of antioxidants and other health-related nutrients, this has not been established in oriental populations. This study aimed to identify differences in dietary and lifestyle characteristics between current, former, and never-smokers among middle-aged and older Chinese in Singapore. The subjects, 45–74 y old, were participants in the Singapore Chinese Health Study, a prospective cohort that enrolled 63,257 (27,959 men and 35,298 women) Chinese in Singapore between 1993 and 1998. Data on current dietary habits (using a validated, semiquantitative FFQ) and other lifestyle factors were collected through face-to-face interviews. Mean daily intakes of various nutrients were estimated using a food composition table that was specifically developed for this population. The current smoking rates were 36% in men and 6% in women; an additional 22% of men and 3% of women were former smokers. In both sexes, current smokers were less educated, had lower BMI, led a more sedentary lifestyle, and drank more alcohol and coffee than those who never smoked. Current smokers had dose-dependent decreases in the intakes of a wide range of antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, and calcium, but increases in the intakes of cholesterol and nitrosamines compared with people who never smoked. Former smokers had dietary intakes that either were similar to never-smokers or intermediate between current and never-smokers. Our results are consistent with findings among Western populations, and suggest that the unhealthy diet and lifestyle in smokers occur across diverse cultures.

KEY WORDS: • cigarette smoking • nutrient intakes • physical activities • Chinese

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J.-M. Yuan, W.-P. Koh, S. E. Murphy, Y. Fan, R. Wang, S. G. Carmella, S. Han, K. Wickham, Y.-T. Gao, M. C. Yu, et al. Urinary Levels of Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamine Metabolites in Relation to Lung Cancer Development in Two Prospective Cohorts of Cigarette Smokers Cancer Res., April 1, 2009; 69(7): 2990 - 2995. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. O Odegaard, M. A Pereira, W.-P. Koh, K. Arakawa, H.-P. Lee, and M. C Yu Coffee, tea, and incident type 2 diabetes: the Singapore Chinese Health Study Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, October 1, 2008; 88(4): 979 - 985. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. K. Kabagambe, A. Baylin, and H. Campos Nonfatal Acute Myocardial Infarction in Costa Rica: Modifiable Risk Factors, Population-Attributable Risks, and Adherence to Dietary Guidelines Circulation, March 6, 2007; 115(9): 1075 - 1081. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. M. Nagle, C. J. Bain, and P. M. Webb Cigarette Smoking and Survival after Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., December 1, 2006; 15(12): 2557 - 2560. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]