Lee Marion M, Shen Jennifer M
University of California, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, 185 Berry St., San Francisco, CA 94107, USA.
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008;17 Suppl 1:79-81.
Dietary intake and nutritional factors have been shown to be associated with many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. There are many approaches to studying dietary intake in relationship to disease; each approach has its strengths and weaknesses. Examples of different methods of studying dietary patterns will be reviewed. In most cultures, consumed and preferred foods are based on cultural and societal influence. Thus, it is important to consider dietary patterns within the context of culture in addition to the standard nutrients or food groupings approach. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers another dimension to food analysis. Our approach classifies dietary intake based on Traditional Chinese Medicine principles of yin and yang, hot and cold, and acidic and alkaline forming food concepts in a case-control study of dietary factors and breast cancer. Our results complement previously reported findings of an increased risk of breast cancer associated with dietary fats in Taiwanese women. Our discussion will focus on the implication of using this dietary pattern research and the challenge of combining this research with culturally sensitive messages to improve health. Our ultimate goal is to design an intervention strategy for disease prevention and health promotion that is culturally appropriate for specific populations.
饮食摄入和营养因素已被证明与许多慢性疾病有关，如心脏病、肥胖症、糖尿病和癌症。研究饮食摄入与疾病关系的方法有很多；每种方法都有其优缺点。将回顾研究饮食模式的不同方法的实例。在大多数文化中，人们食用和偏爱的食物是基于文化和社会影响的。因此，除了标准营养素或食物分组方法外，在文化背景下考虑饮食模式也很重要。传统中医（TCM）为食物分析提供了另一个维度。在一项关于饮食因素与乳腺癌的病例对照研究中，我们的方法基于中医的阴阳、寒热以及成酸和成碱食物概念对饮食摄入进行分类。我们的结果补充了先前报道的台湾女性饮食脂肪与乳腺癌风险增加相关的研究结果。我们的讨论将集中在使用这种饮食模式研究的意义以及将该研究与具有文化敏感性的信息相结合以改善健康的挑战。我们的最终目标是设计一种适合特定人群文化的疾病预防和健康促进干预策略。
