Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T15:04:07.789Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Maternal cured meat consumption during pregnancy and risk of paediatric brain tumour in offspring: potentially harmful levels of intake

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2007

Janice M Pogoda  and
Susan Preston-Martin
Janice M Pogoda*
Affiliation:
Statology, 10355 Pine Cone Way, Truckee, CA 96161, USA
Susan Preston-Martin
Affiliation:
University of Southern California (USC), Department of Preventive Medicine, USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA 90033-0800, USA
*
*Corresponding author: Email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Objective

To describe the relationship between specific levels of nitrite intake from cured meat consumption during pregnancy and the relative risk of paediatric brain tumours in the offspring.

Design

Exposure data were previously collected for a population-based case–control study of paediatric brain tumours; data on nitrite content were obtained by a comprehensive literature review of surveys of residual nitrite content in cured meats published in the USA and Canada. The level of nitrite intake for each mother was predicted by year of pregnancy based on survey results. Dose–response was evaluated both categorically and continuously using polynomial and quadratic spline regression.

Setting

The US west coast: Los Angeles County, the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Area and the Seattle–Puget Sound area.

Subjects

There were 540 cases diagnosed between 1984 and 1990 at ages varying from 0 to 19 years, and 801 controls frequency-matched by geographic area, age and birth year.

Results

In general, survey results suggest a trend of decreasing nitrite levels in cured meats over time. We observed a moderate increase in brain tumour risk in the offspring of mothers with relatively low levels of nitrite consumption from cured meats during pregnancy, and a two- to three-fold risk increase in offspring of mothers who consumed 3 mg day−1 nitrite from cured meats (about 125 g day−1 of cured meat consumption throughout the pregnancy).

Conclusions

A substantial risk of paediatric brain tumour appears to be associated with relatively high levels of maternal cured meat consumption during pregnancy. A more scientifically valid approach than a literature review to estimate nitrite intake from cured meats and data from a large group of highly exposed subjects would be useful in determining potentially harmful levels.

Keywords

Sodium nitriteCured meat productsDiet surveysBrain tumoursN-nitroso compoundsChildhood neoplasms
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , April 2001 , pp. 183 - 189
Copyright
Copyright © CABI Publishing 2001

References

1Lijinsky, W, Epstein, SS. Nitrosamines as environmental carcinogens. Nature 1970; 225: 21–3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2National Research Council. The Health Effects of Nitrate, Nitrite, and N-Nitroso Compounds. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1981.Google Scholar
3Preston-Martin, S, Pogoda, JM, Mueller, BA, Holly, EA, Lijinsky, W, Davis, RL. Maternal consumption of cured meats and vitamins in relation to paediatric brain tumours. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 1996; 5: 599–605.Google Scholar
4Ishida, Y, Tamura, M, Kanda, H, Okamoto, K.Histopathological studies of the nervous system tumours in rats induced by. N-nitrosomethyl-urea. Acta Pathol. Jpn. 1975; 25: 385–401.Google Scholar
5Koestner, A, Derlinger, RH, Wechsler, W.Induction of neurogenic and lymphoid neoplasms by the feeding of threshold levels of methyl- and ethylnitrosourea precursors to adult rats. Food Cosmet. Toxicol. 1975; 13: 605–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Ivankovic, S. Prenatal carcinogenesis. In: Nakahara, W, Takayama, S, Sugimura, T, Odashima, S, eds. Topics in Chemical Carcinogenesis. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press, 1972: 463–72.Google Scholar
7Rice, J, Ward, J. Age dependence of susceptibility to carcinogenesis in the nervous system. In: Selikoff, I, Hammond, E, eds. Brain Tumours in the Chemical Industry. New York: Annals of the New York Academy of Science, 1982: 274–89.Google Scholar
8Buege, DR, Lee, MH, Cassens, RG. Residual Nitrite Levels in Meat Products Manufactured by Wisconsin Meat Processors. Report No. A2983. Madison, WI: Research Division of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin, 1972 (available from Agricultural Bulletin Building, Madison, Wisconsin).Google Scholar
9Greenberg, RA. Nitrosopyrrolidine in United States cured meat products. In: Tinbergen, BJ, Krol, B, eds. Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Nitrite in Meat Products, 7–10 September 1976. Zeist, the Netherlands: Center for Agricultural Publishing and Documentation, 1977: 203–10.Google Scholar
10Ceres Forum. Nitrite as a Food Additive: State of the Science. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Center for Food and Nutrition Policy, 1997.Google Scholar
11Hartge, P, Brinton, LA, Rosenthal, JF, Cahill, JI, Hoover, RN, Waksberg, J.Random digit dialing in selecting a population-based control group. Am. J. Epidemiol. 1984; 120: 825–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12Howe, GR, Harrison, L, Jain, M.A short diet history for assessing dietary exposure to N-nitrosamines in epidemiologic studies. Am. J. Epidemiol. 1986; 124: 595–602.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13Panalaks, T, Iyengar, JR, Sen, NP. Nitrate, nitrite, and dimethylnitrosamine in cured meat products. J. Assoc. Off. Anal. Chem. 1973; 56: 621–5.Google ScholarPubMed
14Panalaks, T, Iyengar, JR, Donaldson, BA, Miles, WF, Sen, NP. Further survey of cured meat products for volatile N-nitrosamines. J. Assoc. Off. Anal. Chem. 1974; 57: 806–12.Google ScholarPubMed
15Sen, NP, Iyengar, JR, Donaldson, BA, Panalaks, T.Effect of sodium nitrite concentration on the formation of nitrosopyrrolidine and dimethylnitrosamine in fried bacon. J. Agric. Food. Chem. 1974; 22: 540–1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16Sen, NP, Donaldson, B, Seaman, S, Collins, B, Iyengar, JR. Recent nitrosamine analyses in cooked bacon. J. Inst. Can. Sci. Technol. Ailment. 1977; 10: A13–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17Theiler, RF, Aspelund, TG, Sato, K, Miller, AF. Model system studies on N-nitrosamine formation in cured meats: the effect of slice thickness. J. Food Sci. 1981; 46: 691–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18Pensabene, JW, Feinberg, JI, Dooley, CJ, Phillips, JG, Fiddler, W.Effect of pork belly composition and nitrite level on nitrosamine formation in fried bacon. J. Agric. Food Chem. 1979; 27: 842–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19Pensabene, JW, Fiddler, W, Miller, AJ, Phillips, JG. Effect of preprocessing procedures for green bellies on N-nitrosopyrrolidine formation in bacon. J. Agric. Food Chem. 1980; 28: 966–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20Pensabene, JW, Fiddler, W.N-nitrosothiazolidine in cured meat products. J. Food Sci. 1983; 48: 1870–1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21Pensabene, JW, Fiddler, W.Determination of volatile N-nitrosamines in frankfurters containing minced fish and surimi. J. Assoc. Off. Anal. Chem. 1988; 71: 839–43.Google ScholarPubMed
22Pensabene, JW, Fiddler, W, Gates, RA, Hale, M, Jahncke, M, Gooch, J.N-nitrosothiazolidine and its 4-carboxylic acid in frankfurters containing Alaska pollock. J. Food Sci. 1991; 56: 1108–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23Fiddler, W, Pensabene, JW, Gates, RA, Foster, JM, Smith, WJ. Investigations on N-nitrosopyrrolidine in dry-cured bacon. J. Assoc. Off. Anal. Chem. 1989; 72: 19–22.Google ScholarPubMed
24Wasserman, AE, Fiddler, W, Doerr, RC, Osman, SF, Dooley, CJ. Dimethylnitrosamine in frankfurters. Food Cosmet. Toxic. 1972; 10: 681–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25Nitrite Safety Council. A survey of nitrosamines in sausages and dry-cured meat products. Food Technol. 1980; 34: 45–51, 53, 103.Google Scholar
26Fiddler, W, Doerr, RC, Gates, RA, Fox, JB. Comparison of chemiluminescent and AOAC methods for determining nitrite in commercial cured meat products. J. Assoc. Off. Anal. Chem. 1984; 67: 525–8.Google ScholarPubMed
27Gates, RA, Pensabene, JW, Fiddler, W.Comparison of three methods for determination of N-nitrosopyrrolidine in fried dry-cured bacon. J. Assoc. Off. Anal. Chem. 1984; 67: 236–9.Google ScholarPubMed
28Binkerd, EF, Kolari, OE. The history and use of nitrate and nitrite in the curing of meat. Food Cosmet. Toxicol. 1975; 13: 655–61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
29Pensabene, JW, Fiddler, W, Gates, RA, Fagan, JC, Wasserman, AE. Effect of frying and other cooking conditions on nitrosopyrrolidine formation in bacon. J. Food Sci. 1974; 39: 314–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
30Fiddler, W, Feinberg, JI, Pensabene, JW, Williams, AC, Dooley, CJ. Dimethylnitrosamine in souse and similar jellied cured-meat products. Food Cosmet. Toxicol. 1975; 13: 653–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
31United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Quality Service. Study to Survey Nitrosamine Levels in Dry Cured Bacon, Hams, and Shoulders. Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture, 1980.Google Scholar
32United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Quality Service. Study of Nitrosamine Levels in Immersion Cured Bacon. Washington DC: United States Department of Agriculture, 1980.Google Scholar
33Greenland, S.Dose–response and trend analysis in epidemiology: alternatives to categorical analysis. Epidemiology 1995; 6: 356–65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
34 United States Department of Agriculture. Agricultural Research Service Nutrient Data Laboratory (Online). Available: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl (2000, 15 Feb).Google Scholar
35Preston-Martin, S, Yu, M, Benton, B, Henderson, BE. N-nitroso compounds and childhood brain tumours: a case–control study. Cancer Res. 1982; 42: 5240–5.Google ScholarPubMed
36Kuijten, RR, Bunin, GR, Nass, CC, Meadows, AT. Gestational and familial risk factors for childhood astrocytoma: results of a case–control study. Cancer Res. 1990; 50: 2608–12.Google ScholarPubMed
37Sarasua, S, Savitz, DA. Cured and broiled meat consumption in relation to childhood cancer: Denver, Colorado (United States). Cancer Causes Control 1994; 5: 141–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
38Bunin, GR, Kuijten, RR, Boesel, CP, Buckley, JD, Meadows, AT. Maternal diet and risk of astrocytic glioma in children: a report from the Childrens Cancer Group (United States and Canada). Cancer Causes Control 1994; 5: 177–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
39Nordin, HR. The depletion of added sodium nitrite in ham. Can. Inst. Food Sci. Technol. J. 1969; 2: 79–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar