| 1. |
- Agudo, A, et al.
(författare)
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Consumption of vegetables, fruit and other plant foods in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohorts from 10 European countries
- 2002
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Ingår i: Public Health Nutrition. - 1475-2727. ; 5:6B, s. 1179-1196
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To describe and compare the consumption of the main groups and subgroups of vegetables and fruits (V&F) in men and women from the centres participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Design: Cross-sectional analysis. Dietary intake was assessed by means of a 24-hour dietary recall using computerised interview software and standardised procedures. Crude and adjusted means were computed for the main groups and sub-groups of V&F by centre, separately for men and women. Adjusted means by season, day of the week and age were estimated using weights and covariance analysis. Setting: Twenty-seven centres in 10 European countries participating in the EPIC project. Subjects: In total, 35 955 subjects (13 031 men and 22 924 women), aged 35-74 years, randomly selected from each EPIC cohort. Results: The centres from southern countries had the highest consumption of V&F, while the lowest intake was seen in The Netherlands and Scandinavia for both genders. These differences were more evident for fruits, particularly citrus. However, slightly different patterns arose for some sub-groups of vegetables, such as root vegetables and cabbage. Adjustment for body mass index, physical activity, smoking habits and education did not substantially modify the mean intakes of vegetables and fruits. vegetable and fruit intake follows a south-north gradient in both Conclusions:. Total, genders, whereas for several sub-groups of vegetables a different geographic distribution exists. Differences in mean intake of V&F by centre were not explained by lifestyle factors associated with VF intake.
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| 2. |
- Slimani, N, et al.
(författare)
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European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) calibration study: rationale, design and population characteristics
- 2002
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Ingår i: Public Health Nutrition. - 1475-2727 .- 1368-9800. ; 5:6B, s. 1125-1145
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), which covers a large cohort of half a million men and women from 23 European centres in 10 Western European countries, was designed to study the relationship between diet and the risk of chronic diseases, particularly cancer. Information on usual individual dietary intake was assessed using different validated dietary assessment methods across participating countries. In order to adjust for possible systematic over- or underestimation in dietary intake measurements and correct for attenuation bias in relative risk estimates, a calibration approach was developed. This approach involved an additional dietary assessment common across study populations to re-express individual dietary intakes according to the same reference scale. A single 24-hour diet recall was therefore collected, as the EPIC reference calibration method, from a stratified random sample of 36 900 subjects from the entire EPIC cohort, using a software program (EPIC-SOFT) specifically designed to standardise the dietary measurements across study populations. This paper describes the design and populations of the calibration sub-studies set up in the EPIC centres. In addition, to assess whether the calibration sub-samples were representative of the entire group of EPIC cohorts, a series of subjects' characteristics known possibly to influence dietary intakes was compared in both population groups. This was the first time that calibration sub-studies had been set up in a large multi-centre European study. These studies showed that, despite certain inherent methodological and logistic constraints, a study design such as this one works relatively well in practice. The average response in the calibration study was 78.3% and ranged from 46.5% to 92.5%. The calibration population differed slightly from the overall cohort but the differences were small for most characteristics and centres. The overall results suggest that, after adjustment for age, dietary intakes estimated from calibration samples can reasonably be interpreted as representative of the main cohorts in most of the EPIC centres.
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| 3. |
- Al-Delaimy, WK, et al.
(författare)
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Plasma levels of six carotenoids in nine European countries: report from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)
- 2004
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Ingår i: Public Health Nutrition. - 1475-2727 .- 1368-9800. ; 7:6, s. 713-722
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: In addition to their possible direct biological effects, plasma carotenoids can be used as biochemical markers of fruit and vegetable consumption for identifying diet-disease associations in epidemiological studies. Few studies have compared levels of these carotenoids between countries in Europe. Objective: Our aim was to assess the variability of plasma carotenoid levels within the cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Methods: Plasma levels of six carotenoids-alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin-were measured cross-sectionally in 3043 study subjects from 16 regions in nine European countries. We investigated the relative influence of gender, season, age, body mass index (BMI), alcohol intake and smoking status on plasma levels of the carotenoids. Results: Mean plasma level of the sum of the six carotenoids varied twofold between regions (1.35 mumol l(-1) for men in Malmo, Sweden vs. 2.79 mumol l(-1) for men in Ragusa/Naples, Italy; 1.61 mumol l(-1) for women in The Netherlands vs. 3.52 mumol l(-1) in Ragusa/Naples, Italy). Mean levels of individual carotenoids varied up to fourfold (alpha-carotene: 0.06 mumol l(-1) for men in Murcia, Spain vs. 0.25 mumol l(-1) for vegetarian men living in the UK). In multivariate regression analyses, region was the most important predictor of total plasma carotenoid level (partial R-2=27.3%), followed by BMI (partial R-2=5.2%), gender (partial R-2=2.7%) and smoking status (partial R-2=2.8%). Females had higher total carotenoid levels than males across Europe. Conclusions: Plasma levels of carotenoids vary substantially between 16 different regions in Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Germany, the UK, Sweden, Denmark and The Netherlands. Compared with region of residence, the other demographic and lifestyle factors and laboratory measurements have limited predictive value for plasma carotenoid levels in Europe.
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| 4. |
- Creighton, S, et al.
(författare)
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Predictive, pre-natal and diagnostic genetic testing for Huntington's disease : the experience in Canada from 1987 to 2000.
- 2003
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Ingår i: Clinical Genetics. - 0009-9163 .- 1399-0004. ; 63:6, s. 462-75
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Predictive and pre-natal testing for Huntington's Disease (HD) has been available since 1987. Initially this was offered by linkage analysis, which was surpassed by the advent of the direct mutation test for HD in 1993. Direct mutation analysis provided an accurate test that not only enhanced predictive and pre-natal testing, but also permitted the diagnostic testing of symptomatic individuals. The objective of this study was to investigate the uptake, utilization, and outcome of predictive, pre-natal and diagnostic testing in Canada from 1987 to April 1, 2000. A retrospective design was used; all Canadian medical genetics centres and their affiliated laboratories offering genetic testing for HD were invited to participate. A total of 15 of 22 centres (68.2%), currently offering or ever having offered genetic testing for HD, responded, providing data on test results, demographics, and clinical history. A total of 1061 predictive tests, 15 pre-natal tests, and 626 diagnostic tests were performed. The uptake for predictive testing was approximately 18% of the estimated at-risk Canadian population, ranging from 12.5% in the Maritimes to 20.7% in British Columbia. There appears to have been a decline in the rate of testing in recent years. Of the predictive tests, 45.0% of individuals were found to have an increased risk, and a preponderance of females (60.2%) sought testing. A greater proportion of those at < or = 25% risk sought predictive testing once direct CAG mutation analysis had become available (10.9% after mutation analysis vs 4.7% before mutation analysis, p = 0.0077). Very few pre-natal tests were requested. Of the 15 pre-natal tests, 12 had an increased risk, resulting in termination of pregnancy in all but one. Diagnostic testing identified 68.5% of individuals to be positive by mutation analysis, while 31.5% of those with HD-like symptoms were not found to have the HD mutation. The positive diagnostic tests included 24.5% of individuals with no known prior family history of HD.
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| 5. |
- Lemme, Max C., 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Highly selective HBr etch process for fabrication of Triple-Gate nano-scale SOI-MOSFETs
- 2004
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Ingår i: Microelectronic Engineering. - 0167-9317 .- 1873-5568. ; 73-74:SI, s. 346-350
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- New three-dimensional device concepts are considered necessary for the ultimate scaling of the gate length of metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs). Both Triple-Gate field effect transistors and FinFETs require a gate etch process with excellent selectivity over the gate oxide material. In this work, a highly selective, anisotropic gate etch process using HBr and O-2 as the reactive gases in an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etch tool is described. Polysilicon thickness measurements have been taken to calculate etch rate and uniformity. Polysilicon wafers for each experimental condition were given different overetch times and SiO2 losses were plotted against time, with the gradient yielding the SiO2 etch rate. The optimized etch process yields excellent results for nanoscale polysilicon gates.
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| 6. |
- Slimani, N, et al.
(författare)
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Diversity of dietary patterns observed in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) project
- 2002
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Ingår i: Public Health Nutrition. - 1475-2727. ; 5:6B, s. 1311-1328
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective.. To describe the diversity in dietary patterns existing across centres/regions participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Design and setting.. Single 24-hour dietary recall measurements were obtained by means of standardised face-to-face interviews using the EPIC-SOFT software. These have been used to present a graphic multi-dimensional comparison of the adjusted mean consumption of 22 food groups. Subjects: In total, 35 955 men and women, aged 35-74 years, participating in the EPIC nested calibration study. Results.. Although wide differences were observed across centres, the countries participating in EPIC are characterised by specific dietary patterns. Overall, Italy and Greece have a dietary pattern characterised by plant foods (except potatoes) and a lower consumption of animal and processed foods, compared with the other EPIC countries. France and particularly Spain have more heterogeneous dietary patterns, with a relatively high consumption of both plant foods and animal products. Apart from characteristics specific to vegetarian groups, the UK 'health-conscious' group shares with the UK general population a relatively high consumption of tea, sauces, cakes, soft drinks (women), margarine and butter. In contrast, the diet in the Nordic countries, The Netherlands, Germany and the UK general population is relatively high in potatoes and animal, processed and sweetened/refined foods, with proportions varying across countries/centres. In these countries, consumption of vegetables and fruit is similar to, or below, the overall EPIC means, and is low for legumes and vegetable oils. Overall, dietary patterns were similar for men and women, although there were large gender differences for certain food groups. Conclusions: There are considerable differences in food group consumption and dietary patterns among the EPIC study populations. This large heterogeneity should be an advantage when investigating the relationship between diet and cancer and formulating new aetiological hypotheses related to dietary patterns and disease.
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| 7. |
- Ferrari, P, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of under- and overreporting of energy intake in the 24-hour diet recalls in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)
- 2002
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Ingår i: Public Health Nutrition. - 1475-2727. ; 5:6B, s. 1329-1345
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To evaluate under- and overreporting and their determinants in the EPIC :24-hour diet recall (24-HDR) measurements collected in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Design: Cross-sectional analysis. 24-HDR measurements were obtained by means of a standardised computerised interview program (EPIC-SOFT). The ratio of reported energy intake (EI) to estimated basal metabolic rate (BMR) was used-to ascertain the magnitude, impact and determinants of misreporting. Goldberg's cut-off points were used to identify participants with physiologically extreme low or high energy intake. At the aggregate level the value of 1.55 for physical activity level (PAL) was chosen as reference. At the individual level we used multivariate statistical techniques to identify factors that could explain EI/BMR variability. Analyses were performed by adjusting for weight, height, age at recall, special diet, smoking status, day of recall (weekday vs. weekend day) and physical activity. Setting: Twenty-seven redefined centres in the 10 countries participating in the EPIC project. Subjects: in total, 35955 men and women, aged 35-74 years, participating in the nested EPIC calibration sub-studies. Results: While overreporting has only a minor impact, the percentage of subjects identified as extreme underreporters was 13.8% and 10.3% in women and men, respectively. Mean EI/BMR values in men and women were 1.44 and 1.36 including all subjects, and 1.50 and 1.44 after exclusion of misreporters. After exclusion of misreporters, adjusted EI/BMR means were consistently less than 10% different from the expected value of 1.55 for PAL (except for women in Greece and in the UK), with overall differences equal to 4.0% and 7.4% for men and women, respectively. We modelled the probability of being an underreporter in association with several individual characteristics. After adjustment for age, height, special diet,- smoking status, day of recall and physical activity at work logistic regression analyses resulted in an odds ratio (OR) of being an underreporter for the highest vs. the lowest quartile of body mass index (BMI) of 3.52 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.91-4.26) in men and 4.80 (95% CI 4.11-5.61) in women, indicating that overweight subjects are significantly more likely to underestimate energy intake than subjects in the bottom BMI category. Older people were less likely to underestimate energy intake: ORs were 0.58 (95% CI 0.45-0.77) and 0.74 (95% CI 0.63-0.88) for age (greater than or equal to 65 years vs. < 50 years). Special diet and day of the week showed strong effects. Conclusion: EI tends to be underestimated in the vast majority of the EPIC centres, although to varying degrees; at the aggregate level most centres were below the expected reference value of 1.55. Underreporting seems to be more prevalent among women than men in the EPIC calibration sample. The hypothesis that BMI (or weight) and age are causally related to underreporting seems to be confirmed in the present work. This introduces further complexity in the within-group (centre or country) and between-group calibration of dietary questionnaire measurements to deattenuate the diet-disease relationship.
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| 8. |
- Linseisen, J, et al.
(författare)
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Consumption of added fats and oils in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) centres across 10 European countries as assessed by 24-hour dietary recalls
- 2002
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Ingår i: Public Health Nutrition. - 1475-2727. ; 5:6B, s. 1227-1242
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To evaluate the consumption of added fats and oils across the European centres and countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Design and setting: 24-Hour dietary recalls were collected by means of standardised computer-guided interviews in 27 redefined EPIC centres across 10 European countries. Subjects: From an initial number of 36 900 subjects, single dietary recalls from 22 924 women and 13 031 men in the age range of 35-74 years were included. Results: Mean daily intake of added fats and oils varied between 16.2 g (Varese, Italy) and 41.1 g (Malmo, Sweden) in women and between 24.7 g (Ragusa, Italy) and 66.0 g (Potsdam, Germany) in men. Total mean lipid intake by consumption of added fats and oils, including those used for sauce preparation, ranged between 18.3 (Norway) and 37.2 g day(-1) (Greece) in women and 28.4 (Heidelberg, Germany) and 51.2 g day(-1) (Greece) in men. The Mediterranean EPIC centres with high olive oil consumption combined with low animal fat intake contrasted with the central and northern European centres where fewer vegetable oils, more animal fats and a high proportion of margarine were consumed. The consumption of added fats and oils of animal origin was highest in the German EPIC centres, followed by the French. The contribution of added fats and oils to total energy intake ranged from 8% in Norway to 22% in Greece. Conclusions: The results demonstrate a high variation in dietary intake of added fats Oil and oils in EPIC, providing a good opportunity to elucidate the role of dietary fats in cancer aetiology.
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| 9. |
- Rohrmann, S, et al.
(författare)
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Cooking of meat and fish in Europe - results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)
- 2002
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Ingår i: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-5640 .- 0954-3007. ; 56:12, s. 1216-1230
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: There is epidemiologic evidence that the consumption of fried, grilled or barbecued meat and fish that are well-done or browned may be associated with an increased cancer risk. These high-temperature cooking methods are thought to be surrogates for mutagens and carcinogens produced in meat and fish, eg heterocyclic amines or polycyclic hydrocarbons. Since data on food cooking methods are scarce, the aim of this study was to describe the variation in meat and fish cooking methods in different parts of Europe. Design: Using a standardized 24 h recall from a sub-sample of the EPIC cohort (35 644 persons, 35-75 y old), mean daily intake of meat and fish prepared by different cooking methods and the relative contribution of the cooking methods to the overall cooking of meat and fish was calculated. Results: Whereas frying was more often noted in northern Europe, roasting and stir frying were more often used in the south. Concerning high-temperature cooking methods, their frequency of application varies between 15% in the EPIC cohort of North-Italy and 49% in the cohort of The Netherlands. Average consumption of fried, grilled and barbecued meat and fish ranges from a low of 12 g/day in the centres in southern Spain to a high of 91 g/day in northern Spain. Conclusion: High variation in both the kind of meat/fish consumed as well as its cooking methods is observed within EPIC. In order to use this variation for the evaluation of the impact of cooking methods on cancer risk, a questionnaire on meat and fish cooking methods is being developed and could be applied in the whole EPIC cohort.
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| 10. |
- Sieri, S, et al.
(författare)
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Patterns of alcohol consumption in 10 European countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) project
- 2002
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Ingår i: Public Health Nutrition. - 1475-2727. ; 5:6B, s. 1287-1296
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. The aim of this study was to compare the quantities of alcohol and types of alcoholic beverages consumed, and the timing of consumption, in centres participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). These centres, in 10 European countries, are characterised by widely differing drinking habits and frequencies of alcohol-related diseases. Methods: We collected a single standardised 24-hour dietary recall per subject from a random sample of the EPIC cohort (36 900 persons initially and 35 955 after exclusion of subjects under 35 and over 74 years of age). This provided detailed information on the distribution of alcohol consumption during the day in relation to main meals, and was used to determine weekly consumption patterns. The crude and adjusted (by age, day of week and season) means of total ethanol consumption and consumption according to type of beverage were stratified by centre and sex. Results: Sex was a strong determinant of drinking patterns in all 10 countries. The highest total alcohol consumption was observed in the Spanish centres (San Sebastian, 41.4 g day(-1)) for men and in Danish centres (Copenhagen, 20.9 g day(-1)) for women. The lowest total alcohol intake was in the Swedish centres (Umea, 10.2 g day(-1)) in men and in Greek women (3.4 g day(-1)). Among men, the main contributor to total alcohol intake was wine in Mediterranean countries and beer in the Dutch, German, Swedish and Danish centres. In most centres, the main source of alcohol for women was wine except for Murcia (Spain), where it was beer. Alcohol consumption, particularly by women, increased markedly during the weekend in nearly all centres. The German, Dutch, UK (general population) and Danish centres were characterised by the highest percentages of alcohol consumption outside mealtimes. Conclusions: The large variation in drinking patterns among the EPIC centres provides an opportunity to better understand the relationship between alcohol and alcohol-related diseases.
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Welch, AA, et al.
(författare)
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Variability of fish consumption within the 10 European countries participating in the European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study
- 2002
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Ingår i: Public Health Nutrition. - 1475-2727. ; 5:6B, s. 1273-1285
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To describe-and compare the consumption of total fish (marine foods) and the fish sub-groups - white fish, fatty fish, very fatty fish, fish products and crustacea, in participants from the European Investigation into. Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of dietary intake using a computerised standardised 24-hour recall interview. Crude means, means and standard errors adjusted by age, season and day of the week were calculated, stratified by centre and gender, Setting: Twenty-seven redefined centres in the 10 European countries participating in the EPIC study. Subjects.. In total, 35 955 subjects (13 031 men and 22 924 women), aged 35-74 years, selected from the main EPIC cohort. Results: A six- to sevenfold variation in total fish consumption exists in women and men, between the lowest consumption in Germany and the highest in Spain. Overall, white fish represented 49% and 45% of the intake of total fish in women and men, respectively, with the greatest consumption in centres in Spain and Greece and the least in the German and Dutch centres. Consumption of fatty fish reflected that of total fish. However, the greatest intake of very fatty fish was in the coastal areas of northern Europe (Denmark, Sweden and Norway) and in Germany. Consumption of fish products was greater in northern than in southern Europe, with white fish products predominating in centres in France, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands and Norway. Intake of roe and roe products was low. The highest consumption of crustacea was found in the French, Spanish and Italian centres. The number of fish types consumed was greater in southern than in northern Europe. The greatest variability in consumption by day of the week-was found in the countries with - the lowest fish intake. Conclusions: Throughout Europe, substantial geographic variation exists in total fish intake, fish sub-groups and the number of types consumed. Day-to-day variability in consumption is also high.
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