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Dietary patterns and exposure to acrylamide using data from the UK Women's Cohort Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 November 2010

L. K. Fraser ,
S. J. Hepworth ,
V. J. Burley ,
P. A. McKinney ,
T. de Kok ,
S. van Breda ,
S. Kyrtopoulos ,
M. Botsivali ,
J. Kleinjans  and
J. E. Cade
L. K. Fraser
Affiliation:
Paediatric Epidemiology Group, Division of Epidemiology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
S. J. Hepworth
Affiliation:
Paediatric Epidemiology Group, Division of Epidemiology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
V. J. Burley
Affiliation:
Nutritional Epidemiology Group, Division of Epidemiology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
P. A. McKinney
Affiliation:
Paediatric Epidemiology Group, Division of Epidemiology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
T. de Kok
Affiliation:
Department of Health Risk Analysis and Toxicology, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands
S. van Breda
Affiliation:
Department of Health Risk Analysis and Toxicology, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands
S. Kyrtopoulos
Affiliation:
National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens, Greece
M. Botsivali
Affiliation:
National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens, Greece
J. Kleinjans
Affiliation:
Department of Health Risk Analysis and Toxicology, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands
J. E. Cade
Affiliation:
Nutritional Epidemiology Group, Division of Epidemiology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
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Abstract

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Abstract
Information
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society , Volume 69 , Issue OCE6: Summer Meeting, 28 June–1 July 2010, Nutrition and health: cell to community , 2010 , E499
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2010

The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified acrylamide as probably carcinogenic in human subjects in 1994(1). In 2002, acrylamide (AA) was found to be present in significant amounts in human foods, especially starchy foods cooked at high temperature, e.g. crisps and fried potatoes(2). There is good evidence that acrylamide is carcinogenic and neurotoxic in rodents(Reference Johnston, Gorzinski and Bodner3, Reference Friedman, Dulak and Stedham4), but the epidemiological studies looking at the association between AA and cancer in human subjects have generated conflicting results.

The United Kingdom Women's Cohort Study (UKWCS) was established in 1993 to investigate the associations between diet and cancer in the UK(Reference Cade, Burley and Greenwood5). This analysis aimed to describe the acrylamide intake in this cohort of middle-aged women and relate this intake to specific dietary patterns which were derived from the analysis of food frequency questionnaire data collected at the study baseline.

Using dietary data from 35 372 cohort participants, the mean intake of AA was estimated as 0.253 μg/kg/d (95% CI 0.252, 0.255). This is less than the safe recommended level of 1 μg/kg/d. The most important source of acrylamide in the UKWCS study was potato chips, which contributed an average of 29% to total exposure. The other main food sources of acrylamide were bakery goods (17.5%) and potato crisps (15.7%). Older women, those who smoked and women with lower education levels had a higher average mean intake of acrylamide from dietary sources.

Meat eaters had higher average acrylamide intakes than vegetarians, fish and poultry eaters. Lower acrylamide intakes were found with increasing WHO healthy eating index and Mediterranean diet scores. The sources of acrylamide varied by dietary pattern group with the healthier WHO scores are obtaining less acrylamide from potato crisps and more from crispbread.

This descriptive study of acrylamide intake has shown that although the mean intake of AA in this cohort is less than the tolerable daily intake there are significant differences of intake within this population. The public-health messages regarding which foods to reduce the intake of in order to decrease acrylamide intake should be specific for people with different dietary patterns within the UK.

References

1.Cancer IaFRo. (1994) Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogen Risk to Humans. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer.Google Scholar
2.Swedish National Food Administration (2002) Acrylamide in Food. Uppsala, Sweden: Swedish National Food Administration.Google Scholar
3.Johnston, KA, Gorzinski, SJ, Bodner, KM et al. (1986) Chronic toxicity and oncogenicity study on acrylamide incorporated in the drinking water of Fischer 344 rats. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 85, 154–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.Friedman, MA, Dulak, LH & Stedham, MA (1995) A lifetime oncogenicity study in rats with acrylamide. Fundam Appl Toxicol, 27, 95–105.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Cade, JE, Burley, VJ, Greenwood, DC and the UK Women's Cohort Study Steering group (2004) ‘The UK Women's Cohort Study: comparison of vegetarians, fish eaters and meat eaters.’ Public Health Nutr 7, 871–878.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed