Dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of cancer among Finnish male smokers

Coffee Consumption and Risk of Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

The association between coffee consumption and lung cancer risk remains inconsistent. To quantitatively assess this association, we conducted a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. We searched PubMed and Web of Science databases along with hand searches for eligible studies published up to July 2023. A total of 26 prospective studies, including 30,305 lung cancer cases and 1,795,158 participants, were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled RR for high vs. low coffee consumption was 1.30 (95% CI: 1.11-1.53) with significant heterogeneity (I2 = 72.0%, p < .001). For never smokers, however, the pooled RR was 1.18 (95% CI: 0.999-1.38) with no evidence of heterogeneity (I2 = 0.0%, p = .53). By adjustment for body mass index (BMI), there was no significant association between coffee consumption and lung cancer risk in studies that adjusted for BMI (RR = 1.06; 95% CI: 0.87-1.30) (Pdifference = .01). Further analysis of studies that adjusted for BMI in never smokers found that coffee consumption was not associated with lung cancer risk. In conclusion, the association of high coffee consumption with lung cancer risk was attenuated when the confounding effects caused by smoking and BMI were controlled. Our results, therefore, imply that coffee consumption does not seem to be a risk factor for lung cancer incidence.

Association between dietary intake of acrylamide and increased risk of mortality in women: Evidence from the E3N prospective cohort

Acrylamide is an organic compound classified as probably carcinogenic to humans because of sufficient evidence in animals but not in humans. Other health risks associated with acrylamide intake are still not fully elucidated. We aimed to study the relationship between acrylamide dietary intake and mortality in the E3N (Etude Epidémiologique auprès de femmes de l'Education Nationale) French cohort. We studied 72,585 women of the E3N prospective cohort, which completed a food frequency questionnaire in 1993. The E3N food consumption database and the food contamination database obtained from the second French total diet study were used to estimate participants' average daily acrylamide dietary intake. We estimated the associations between acrylamide dietary intake and all-cause or cause-specific mortality using Cox proportional hazard models. During follow-up (1993-2014), we identified 6441 deaths. The mean acrylamide dietary intake was 32.6 μg/day, with coffee consumption as principal contributor (48.6 %). In the fully adjusted model, we found a non-linear association between acrylamide dietary intake and all-cause mortality and a linear positive association with cardiovascular disease (HR per one STD increment [95%CI]: 1.11 [1.02; 1.21]), all-cancer (HR [95%CI]: 1.05 [1.01; 1.10]) and lung cancer (HR [95%CI]: 1.22 [1.09; 1.38]) mortality, while we observed no association with breast (HR [95%CI]: 0.94 [0.86; 1.03]) and colorectal (HR [95%CI]: 1.12 [0.97; 1.29]) cancer mortality. We highlighted an interaction between acrylamide dietary intake and smoking status in the models for all-cause and all-cancer mortality: when stratifying on smoking status, statistically significant positive associations were observed only in current smokers. This study on a large prospective cohort following more than 70,000 women for over 20 years suggests that higher acrylamide dietary intakes are associated with an increased risk of mortality. Therefore, it is essential to keep reducing acrylamide contamination and prevent dietary intake of acrylamide, especially among smokers.

In Vivo Investigation of the Effect of Dietary Acrylamide and Evaluation of Its Clinical Relevance in Colon Cancer

Dietary exposure to acrylamide (AA) has been linked with carcinogenicity in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. However, epidemiologic data on AA intake in relation to cancer risk are limited and contradictory, while the potential cancer-inducing molecular pathways following AA exposure remain elusive. In this study, we collected mechanistic information regarding the induction of carcinogenesis by dietary AA in the colon, using an established animal model. Male Balb/c mice received AA orally (0.1 mg/kg/day) daily for 4 weeks. RNA was extracted from colon tissue samples, followed by RNA sequencing. Comparative transcriptomic analysis between AA and mock-treated groups revealed a set of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were further processed using different databases through the STRING-DB portal, to reveal deregulated protein-protein interaction networks. We found that genes implicated in RNA metabolism, processing and formation of the ribosomal subunits and protein translation and metabolism are upregulated in AA-exposed colon tissue; these genes were also overexpressed in human colon adenocarcinoma samples and were negatively correlated with patient overall survival (OS), based on publicly available datasets. Further investigation of the potential role of these genes during the early stages of colon carcinogenesis may shed light into the underlying mechanisms induced by dietary AA exposure.

Dietary Acrylamide Exposure and Cancer Risk: A Systematic Approach to Human Epidemiological Studies

Acrylamide, identified by the International Cancer Research Center as a possible carcinogenic compound to humans, is a contaminant formed as a result of the thermal process in many foods, such as coffee, French fries, biscuits and bread, which are frequently consumed by individuals in their daily lives. The biggest concern about acrylamide is that the health risks have not yet been fully elucidated. For this reason, many studies have been carried out on acrylamide in the food, nutrition and health equation. This study focused on epidemiological studies examining the associations between dietary acrylamide exposure and cancer risk. For this purpose, articles published in PubMed, Isı Web of Knowledge, Scopus and Science Direct databases between January 2002 and April 2022 were systematically examined using various keywords, and a total of 63 articles were included in the study. Although some studies on reproductive, urinary, gastrointestinal, respiratory and other systems and organs stated that there is a positive relationship between dietary acrylamide exposure and cancer risk, many publications did not disclose a relationship in this direction. Studies examining the relationship between dietary acrylamide exposure and cancer should be planned to include more people and foods in order to obtain more reliable results. Making research plans in this way is very important in terms of guiding health policies to be formed in the future.

Acrylamide levels in smoke from conventional cigarettes and heated tobacco products and exposure assessment in habitual smokers

Acrylamide (AA) is a neurotoxic, genotoxic, and carcinogenic compound developed during heating at high temperatures. Foods such as potatoes, biscuits, bread and coffee are the main foodstuffs containing AA. Cigarette smoke may be a significant additional source of exposure. However, AA content may vary among different types of cigarettes. The study aimed to evaluate the AA content in conventional cigarettes (CC) and heated tobacco products (HTP) and its resulting exposure through their use. AA levels from the two types of cigarettes were determined by GC-MS and the daily exposure to AA was also ascertained. The margin of exposure (MOE) was calculated for neurotoxic and carcinogenic risk based on benchmark dose lower confidence limit for a 10% response (BMDL10) of 0.43 and 0.17, 0.30, and 1.13 mg/kgbw/day. AA level in CC ranged from 235 to 897 ng/cigarette, whereas HTP reported AA levels in the range of 99-187 ng/cigarette. The data showed a low neurotoxic risk for either CC or HTP, whereas a carcinogenic risk emerged through the smoking of CC based on different Benchmark doses. The carcinogenic risk for CC based on the highest Benchmark dose that was considered showed unsafe levels, as little as 10 CC cigarettes/day, whereas it was almost always of low concern for HTP. Another approach based upon the incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) analysis led to similar results, exceeding, in some cases, the safety value of 10-4, as far as CC are concerned. Overall, the results confirmed that CC are a significant source of AA, and its levels were five times higher than in HTP.

Dietary Acrylamide Exposure and Risk of Site-Specific Cancer: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Epidemiological Studies

Diet is a main source of acrylamide exposure to humans. Existing observational data on the relationship between dietary exposure to acrylamide and risk of cancer are inconsistent. We performed a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of epidemiological studies evaluating the association between dietary acrylamide exposure and several site-specific cancer. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases until March 7, 2022. Studies were eligible if they were carried out in non-occupationally exposed adults, assessed dietary acrylamide exposure (μg/day) and reported risk estimates of cancer incidence (all but gynecological cancers). Using a random-effects model, we performed a meta-analysis of site-specific cancer risk comparing the highest vs. lowest category of dietary acrylamide exposure. We also carried out a one-stage dose-response meta-analysis assessing the shape of the association. Out of 1,994 papers screened, 31 were eligible (total of 16 studies), which included 1,151,189 participants in total, out of whom 48,175 developed cancer during the median follow-up period of 14.9 years (range 7.3–33.9). The mean estimated dose of dietary acrylamide across studies was 23 μg/day. Pooled analysis showed no association between the highest vs. lowest dietary acrylamide exposure and each site-specific cancer investigated, with no evidence of thresholds in the dose-response meta-analysis. There were also no associations between dietary acrylamide exposure and the risk of cancers when stratifying by smoking status, except for increased risk of lung cancer in smokers. In conclusion, high dietary acrylamide exposure was not associated with an increased risk of site-specific non-gynecological cancer.

A Review of Dietary Intake of Acrylamide in Humans

The dietary intake of acrylamide (AA) is a health concern, and food is being monitored worldwide, but the extent of AA exposure from the diet is uncertain. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of estimated dietary intake. We performed a PubMed search identifying studies that used dietary questionnaires and recalls to estimate total dietary AA intake. A total of 101 studies were included, corresponding to 68 original study populations from 26 countries. Questionnaires were used in 57 studies, dietary recalls were used in 33 studies, and 11 studies used both methods. The estimated median AA intake ranged from 0.02 to 1.53 μg/kg body weight/day between studies. Children were represented in 25 studies, and the body-weight-adjusted estimated AA intake was up to three times higher for children than adults. The majority of studies were from Europe (n = 65), Asia (n = 17), and the USA (n = 12). Studies from Asia generally estimated lower intakes than studies from Europe and the USA. Differences in methods undermine direct comparison across studies. The assessment of AA intake through dietary questionnaires and recalls has limitations. The integration of these methods with the analysis of validated biomarkers of exposure/internal dose would improve the accuracy of dietary AA intake exposure estimation. This overview shows that AA exposure is widespread and the large variation across and within populations shows a potential for reduced intake among those with the highest exposure.

Dietary Acrylamide Intake and the Risks of Renal Cell, Prostate, and Bladder Cancers: A Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study

Acrylamide can be carcinogenic to humans. However, the association between the acrylamide and the risks of renal cell, prostate, and bladder cancers in Asians has not been assessed. We aimed to investigate this association in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study data in 88,818 Japanese people (41,534 men and 47,284 women) who completed a food frequency questionnaire in the five-year follow-up survey in 1995 and 1998. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess the dietary acrylamide intake. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). During a mean follow-up of 15.5 years (15.2 years of prostate cancer), 208 renal cell cancers, 1195 prostate cancers, and 392 bladder cancers were diagnosed. Compared to the lowest quintile of acrylamide intake, the multivariate hazard ratios for the highest quintile were 0.71 (95% CI: 0.38–1.34, p for trend = 0.294), 0.96 (95% CI: 0.75–1.22, p for trend = 0.726), and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.59–1.29, p for trend = 0.491) for renal cell, prostate, and bladder cancers, respectively, in the multivariate-adjusted model. No significant associations were observed in the stratified analyses based on smoking. Dietary acrylamide intake was not associated with the risk of renal cell, prostate, and bladder cancers.

Dietary Acrylamide Intake and the Risk of Hematological Malignancies: The Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study

Acrylamide, which is present in many daily foods, is a probable human carcinogen. In 2002, it was identified in several common foods. Subsequently, western epidemiologists began to explore the relationship between dietary acrylamide exposure and cancer risk; however, limited suggestive associations were found. This prospective study aimed to examine the association between dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of hematological malignancies, including malignant lymphoma (ML), multiple myeloma (MM), and leukemia. We enrolled 85,303 participants in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective study on diet and cancer as from 1995. A food frequency questionnaire that included data on acrylamide in all Japanese foods was used to assess dietary acrylamide intake. We applied multivariable adjusted Cox proportional hazards models to reckon hazard ratios (HRs) for acrylamide intake for both categorical variables (tertiles) and continuous variables. After 16.0 median years of follow-up, 326 confirmed cases of ML, 126 cases of MM, and 224 cases of leukemia were available for final multivariable-adjusted analysis. HRs were 0.87 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.64–1.18) for ML, 0.64 (95% CI: 0.38–1.05) for MM, and 1.01 (95% CI: 0.71–1.45) for leukemia. Our results implied that acrylamide may not be related to the risk of hematological malignancies.

Estimating the acrylamide exposure of adult individuals from coffee: Turkey

Many researchers have pointed out that coffee contributes significantly to the dietary exposure among the many foods that contain acrylamide. Within the context of this study, the 24 h dietary recall method was employed to obtain the coffee consumption information of 263 individuals with different socio-demographic characteristics, followed by an estimation based on the deterministic model and an analysis of statistical data, in an attempt to estimate acrylamide exposure from coffee. The acrylamide intake of individuals who consume coffee was estimated to be 0.11 ± 0.084 µg/kg bw per day (95th percentile, 0.27 µg/kg bw per day); the exposure of women was estimated to range on an average between 0.12 ± 0.097 µg/kg bw per day while the exposure of men was estimated to range between 0.10 ± 0.065 µg/kg bw per day. A statistically significant difference (p < .05) was detected in the estimated average values between the parameters of age group, education level and coffee types consumed. Dietary acrylamide exposure was not of concern with respect to neurotoxicity and carcinogenicity. This is the first study carried out to estimate acrylamide exposure of individuals in Turkey from coffee.

Dietary Acrylamide Intake and the Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: The Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study

Acrylamide is a probable carcinogen in humans. Few studies have assessed dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of pancreatic cancer; however, these studies are based on Western populations. Our purpose was to investigate the association of dietary acrylamide intake with the risk of pancreatic cancer utilizing data from the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study. We evaluated the data of 89,729 participants aged 45-74 years, who replied to a questionnaire on past medical history and lifestyle habits from 1995-1998. Dietary acrylamide intake was estimated utilizing a validated food frequency questionnaire. We calculated the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals by using Cox proportional-hazards regression models. The average follow-up was 15.2 years, and 576 cases of pancreatic cancer were diagnosed. In the multivariate-adjusted model, an association between dietary acrylamide intake and pancreatic cancer risk was not demonstrated (hazard ratio for the highest vs. lowest quartile = 0.83, 95% confidence interval: 0.65-1.05, p for trend = 0.07). Furthermore, in the analyses stratified by sex, smoking status, coffee consumption, green tea consumption, alcohol consumption, and body mass index, no significant association was detected. Dietary acrylamide intake was not associated with the pancreatic cancer risk in Japanese individuals.

Dietary Acrylamide Intake and Risk of Lung Cancer: The Japan Public Health Center Based Prospective Study

Acrylamide, which forms in heat-treated foods with high carbohydrate content, is a probable human carcinogen. This study aimed to evaluate the association between dietary acrylamide intake and lung cancer using data from the Japan Public Health Center based Prospective Study. Our study included 85,303 participants who completed a food frequency questionnaire. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) after adjusting for confounders. After 14.3 years and 15.4 years of mean follow-up period, 1187 and 485 lung cancer cases were identified in men and women, respectively. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios of 10-µg/day increment in acrylamide intake were 1.01 (95% CI, 0.99–1.02) in men and 0.98 (95% CI, 0.95–1.02) in women. Compared with the lowest quartile of acrylamide intake, the hazard ratios for the highest quartile were 1.13 (95% CI, 0.95–1.33; p for trend = 0.12) in men and 1.03 (95% CI, 0.78–1.36; p for trend = 0.86) in women in the multivariable-adjusted model. Moreover, there was also no significant association observed in the stratified analysis for histological subtypes of lung cancer. This study demonstrated that dietary acrylamide intake was not associated with increased lung cancer risk in the Japanese population.

No association between dietary acrylamide and renal cell carcinoma: an updated meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The relationship between dietary acrylamide intake and renal cell carcinoma risk is inconclusive. In consideration of the recent findings, we conducted an updated meta-analysis to assess the association between acrylamide intake and renal cell carcinoma risk.

RESULTS

PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases have been used to identify epidemiological studies on dietary acrylamide intake and renal cell carcinoma risk. This meta-analysis study included eight studies, 2843 cases, and 309 920 controls/participants. We performed meta-analyses to calculate the summary relative risk (RR) for the highest versus lowest intake of dietary acrylamide. No meaningful association was found for renal cell carcinoma; RR was 1.12 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.97-1.28). Among participants who never smoked, no association was found between dietary acrylamide and renal cell carcinoma; the RR for highest versus lowest intake of dietary acrylamide was 1.11 (95% CI: 0.93-1.32).

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis study indicates that dietary acrylamide is not related to the risk of renal cell carcinoma. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

The determination of acrylamide content in brewed coffee samples marketed in Turkey

Coffee is a beverage that is widely enjoyed and consumed by all segments of society. As well as having a rich content, it contains acrylamide, defined as 'a probable carcinogen for humans' by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The aim of this study was both to determine the acrylamide levels of ready-to-drink coffees from various coffee brands marketed in Turkey and to offer a resource for risk assessment and acrylamide exposure studies in this area. For this purpose, a total of 41 coffee samples (22 instant coffee, 7 traditional Turkish coffee and 12 ready-to-drink (brewed) coffee) obtained from local markets and coffee shops were analysed in terms of acrylamide content. LC-MS/MS was used to detect the acrylamide content in the samples. The levels of acrylamide ranged from 16.5 to 79.5 ng mL^-1 in instant coffees, from 5.9 to 38.8 ng mL^-1 in ready-to-drink (brewed) coffees and from 5.3-54.8 ng mL^-1 in Turkish coffee and other traditional coffees. The study showed that instant coffee includes the highest level of acrylamide among the other types. In addition, it was found that terebinth coffee, a form of traditional Turkish coffee, had a high content of acrylamide.

Dietary Acrylamide Intake and Risk of Esophageal, Gastric, and Colorectal Cancer: The Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study

BACKGROUND

Acrylamide has been classified as a probable human carcinogen based chiefly on laboratory evidence. However, the influence of dietary acrylamide intake on risk of esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancer has not been extensively studied. We aimed to evaluate the association between dietary acrylamide intake and esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancer using data from the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study.

METHODS

Our study included 87,628 participants who completed a food-frequency questionnaire at enrollment in 1990 and 1993. We used Cox proportional hazards regression models to estimate hazards ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) after adjusting for confounding factors.

RESULTS

After 15.5, 15.3, and 15.3 mean years of follow-up for esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancer, we identified and analyzed 391 esophageal, 2,218 gastric, and 2,470 colorectal cancer cases, respectively. Compared with the lowest quintile of acrylamide intake, the multivariate HR for the highest quintile was 0.86 (95% CI, 0.53-1.39; P _trend = 0.814), 0.84 (95% CI, 0.69-1.01; P _trend = 0.301), and 0.93 (95% CI, 0.79-1.08; P _trend = 0.165) for esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancer, respectively, in the multivariable-adjusted model. Furthermore, no significant associations were observed when the participants were stratified by cancer subsites.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, this study demonstrated that dietary acrylamide intake was not associated with increased risk of esophageal, gastric, or colorectal cancer among the Japanese population.

IMPACT

It is the first time to assess the effect of dietary acrylamide intake on risk of digestive system cancer in Asian populations.

Validity of Estimated Acrylamide Intake by the Dietary Record Method and Food Frequency Questionnaire in Comparison with a Duplicate Method: A Pilot Study

Acrylamide, classified as a probable carcinogen to humans, forms during high- temperature cooking. Dietary exposure among the Japanese is unknown. To evaluate the validity of estimated acrylamide intake using a dietary record (DR) and the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in comparison with the duplicate diet method (DM) in a Japanese population. Design: A validation study was performed with 14 participants (age, 32-50 y; 11 women) from 11 households. Food samples were simultaneously collected for the DM and DR on the same day over 2 consecutive days. The FFQ was administered after collecting samples for the DM and DR. For the DM, dietary acrylamide was calculated from chemical analyses of each food. For the DR and FFQ, acrylamide intake for each food was calculated using the database of acrylamide contents of foods. Correlation coefficients were calculated using the Spearman rank method. Average acrylamide intake values calculated using the DM, DR, and FFQ were 0.106, 0.233, and 0.128 μg/kg body weight/d, respectively; these values showed a marginally positive correlation between the DM and DR (r=0.52), but a low correlation between the DM and FFQ (r=-0.011). For the DR, non-alcoholic drinks had the highest contribution, followed by confectionery and vegetables. For the DM, the contribution of confectionery was the highest, followed by vegetables and non-alcoholic drinks. In conclusion, the validity of acrylamide intake estimation using the DR was reasonably high when compared to the analytical value of the simultaneous DM. However, further improvement is required for estimating acrylamide intake using the FFQ.

Dietary Acrylamide Is Not Associated with Renal Cell Cancer Risk in the CPS-II Nutrition Cohort

BACKGROUND

Acrylamide, an industrial chemical and probable human carcinogen, can be formed in primarily carbohydrate-containing foods during high-heat cooking or processing. Most epidemiologic studies show no associations of dietary acrylamide intake with most cancer outcomes, but limited prospective evidence suggests a positive association with renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

METHODS

In 1999, 102,154 men and women from the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort completed a questionnaire on diet, lifestyle, and cancer risk factors and were followed through June 30, 2013. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the HR and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between estimated dietary acrylamide intake and risk of RCC.

RESULTS

After 1,137,441 person-years of follow-up, 412 cases of invasive RCC occurred. In multivariable-adjusted models, there was no association between acrylamide intake and risk of RCC (HR = 1.09; 95% CI, 0.82-1.43) for the highest versus lowest quartile of intake. Associations were not modified by sex or smoking history.

CONCLUSIONS

We found no associations between dietary acrylamide exposure and risk of invasive RCC.

IMPACT

The findings from this large, prospective analysis do not support a positive association between higher dietary acrylamide intake and RCC risk.

Dietary Acrylamide Intake and Risk of Renal Cell Carcinoma in Two Large Prospective Cohorts

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that dietary acrylamide intake is not associated with the risk of most cancers in humans. However, a meta-analysis of five epidemiologic studies found a suggestion of an increased risk of kidney cancer with higher dietary acrylamide intake.Methods: We investigated this association in the prospective Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS; 1986-2014) and Nurses' Health Study (NHS; 1980-2014) cohorts. Dietary acrylamide intake was calculated on the basis of 46 acrylamide-containing foods reported on food frequency questionnaires completed every 4 years. The associations with the incidence of total and fatal renal cell carcinoma (RCC; n = 292/84 HPFS, n = 337/87 NHS) during more than two decades of follow-up were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for potential confounders.Results: There was no association between cumulative average or baseline acrylamide intake and the risk of total or fatal RCC risk in men or women. Acrylamide intake was also not associated with RCC risk among never-smokers, nor was it associated with the risk of clear cell RCC.Conclusions: Dietary acrylamide was not associated with risk of RCC in two long-term prospective cohorts with repeated measures of dietary intake.Impact: This analysis of RCC adds to the body of evidence that dietary acrylamide is not an important cancer risk factor in humans. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 27(8); 979-82. ©2018 AACR.

Dietary acrylamide and the risk of pancreatic cancer in the International Pancreatic Cancer Case-Control Consortium (PanC4)

Background

Occupational exposure to acrylamide was associated with excess mortality from pancreatic cancer, though in the absence of dose-risk relationship. Few epidemiological studies have examined the association between acrylamide from diet and pancreatic cancer risk.

Patients and methods

We considered this issue in a combined set of 1975 cases of pancreatic cancer and 4239 controls enrolled in six studies of the Pancreatic Cancer Case-Control Consortium (PanC4). We calculated pooled odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) by estimating study-specific ORs through multivariate unconditional logistic regression models and pooling the obtained estimates using random-effects models.

Results

Compared with the lowest level of estimated dietary acrylamide intake, the pooled ORs were 0.97 (95% CI, 0.79-1.19) for the second, 0.91 (95% CI, 0.71-1.16) for the third, and 0.92 (95% CI, 0.66-1.28) for the fourth (highest) quartile of intake. For an increase of 10 µg/day of acrylamide intake, the pooled OR was 0.96 (95% CI, 0.87-1.06), with heterogeneity between estimates (I2 = 67%). Results were similar across various subgroups, and were confirmed when using a one-stage modelling approach.

Conclusions

This PanC4 pooled-analysis found no association between dietary acrylamide and pancreatic cancer.

Dietary acrylamide and cancer risk: an updated meta-analysis

The debate on the potential carcinogenic effect of dietary acrylamide is open. In consideration of the recent findings from large prospective investigations, we conducted an updated meta-analysis on acrylamide intake and the risk of cancer at several sites. Up to July 2014, we identified 32 publications. We performed meta-analyses to calculate the summary relative risk (RR) of each cancer site for the highest versus lowest level of intake and for an increment of 10 µg/day of dietary acrylamide, through fixed-effects or random-effects models, depending on the heterogeneity test. Fourteen cancer sites could be examined. No meaningful associations were found for most cancers considered. The summary RRs for high versus low acrylamide intake were 0.87 for oral and pharyngeal, 1.14 for esophageal, 1.03 for stomach, 0.94 for colorectal, 0.93 for pancreatic, 1.10 for laryngeal, 0.88 for lung, 0.96 for breast, 1.06 for endometrial, 1.12 for ovarian, 1.00 for prostate, 0.93 for bladder and 1.13 for lymphoid malignancies. The RR was of borderline significance only for kidney cancer (RR = 1.20; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.00-1.45). All the corresponding continuous estimates ranged between 0.95 and 1.03, and none of them was significant. Among never-smokers, borderline associations with dietary acrylamide emerged for endometrial (RR = 1.23; 95% CI, 1.00-1.51) and ovarian (RR = 1.39; 95% CI, 0.97-2.00) cancers. This systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies indicates that dietary acrylamide is not related to the risk of most common cancers. A modest association for kidney cancer, and for endometrial and ovarian cancers in never smokers only, cannot be excluded.

Dietary acrylamide and human cancer: a systematic review of literature

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States, and the number of cases is expected to continue to rise worldwide. Cancer prevention strategies are crucial for reducing the cancer burden. The carcinogenic potential of dietary acrylamide exposure from cooked foods is unknown. Acrylamide is a by-product of the common Maillard reaction where reducing sugars (i.e., fructose and glucose) react with the amino acid, asparagine. Based on the evidence of acrylamide carcinogenicity in animals, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified acrylamide as a group 2A carcinogen for humans. Since the discovery of acrylamide in foods in 2002, a number of studies have explored its potential as a human carcinogen. This article outlines a systematic review of dietary acrylamide and human cancer, acrylamide exposure and internal dose, exposure assessment methods in the epidemiologic studies, existing data gaps, and future directions. A majority of the studies reported no statistically significant association between dietary acrylamide intake and various cancers, and few studies reported increased risk for renal, endometrial, and ovarian cancers; however, the exposure assessment has been inadequate leading to potential misclassification or underestimation of exposure. Future studies with improved dietary acrylamide exposure assessment are encouraged.

Lack of human tissue-specific correlations for rodent pancreatic and colorectal carcinogens

To better understand the relationships between chemical exposures and human cancer causation, incidence data for human cancer types were identified and pancreatic and colorectal cancers were studied in-depth to assess whether data supporting the causation of pancreatic or colorectal tumors by chemicals in rodents is predictive of causation by the same chemicals of the same tumors in humans. A search of the Carcinogenic Potency Database, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) technical report database, and the published literature identified 38 and 39 chemicals reported to cause pancreatic and colorectal tumors, respectively, in mice or rats. For each of these chemicals, searches were conducted of the International Agency for Research on Cancer monographs, the NTP Report on Carcinogens, and the published literature for evidence of induction of the same tumors in humans. Based on this evaluation, no conclusive evidence was identified to suggest that chemicals reported to cause pancreatic or colorectal tumors in rodents also cause these tumors in humans. These findings suggest that pancreatic tumor data from mouse and rat bioassays are of limited utility with regard to predicting similar tumor induction in humans. For colorectal cancer, a lack of correlation was noted for the vast majority of chemicals.

Dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of lymphatic malignancies: the Netherlands Cohort Study on diet and cancer

Background

Acrylamide, a probable human carcinogen, is present in many everyday foods. Since the finding of its presence in foods in 2002, epidemiological studies have found some suggestive associations between dietary acrylamide exposure and the risk of various cancers. The aim of this prospective study is to investigate for the first time the association between dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of several histological subtypes of lymphatic malignancies.

Methods

The Netherlands Cohort Study on diet and cancer includes 120,852 men and women followed-up since September 1986. The number of person years at risk was estimated by using a random sample of participants from the total cohort that was chosen at baseline (n  = 5,000). Acrylamide intake was estimated from a food frequency questionnaire combined with acrylamide data for Dutch foods. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated for acrylamide intake as a continuous variable as well as in categories (quintiles and tertiles), for men and women separately and for never-smokers, using multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models.

Results

After 16.3 years of follow-up, 1,233 microscopically confirmed cases of lymphatic malignancies were available for multivariable-adjusted analysis. For multiple myeloma and follicular lymphoma, HRs for men were 1.14 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.27) and 1.28 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.61) per 10 µg acrylamide/day increment, respectively. For never-smoking men, the HR for multiple myeloma was 1.98 (95% CI: 1.38, 2.85). No associations were observed for women.

Conclusion

We found indications that acrylamide may increase the risk of multiple myeloma and follicular lymphoma in men. This is the first epidemiological study to investigate the association between dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of lymphatic malignancies, and more research into these observed associations is warranted.

Dietary acrylamide exposure among Finnish adults and children: the potential effect of reduction measures

A deterministic exposure assessment using the Nusser method that adjusts for within-subject variation and for nuisance effects among Finnish children and adults was carried out. The food consumption data covered 2038 adults (25-74 years old) and 1514 children of 1, 3 and 6 years of age, with the data on foods' acrylamide content obtained from published Finnish studies. We found that acrylamide exposure was highest among the 3-year-old children (median = 1.01 µg kg(-1) bw day(-1), 97.5th percentile = 1.95 µg kg(-1) bw day(-1)) and lowest among 65-74-year-old women (median = 0.31 µg kg(-1) bw day(-1), 97.5th percentile = 0.69 µg kg(-1) bw day(-1)). Among adults, the most important source of acrylamide exposure was coffee, followed by casseroles rich in starch, then rye bread. Among children, the most important sources were casseroles rich in starch and then biscuits and, finally, chips and other fried potatoes. Replacing lightly roasted coffee with dark-roasted, swapping sweet wheat buns for biscuits, and decreasing the acrylamide content of starch-based casseroles and rye bread by 50% would result in a 50% decrease in acrylamide exposure in adults. Among children, substituting boiled potatoes for chips and other friend potatoes and replacing biscuits with sweet wheat buns while lowering the acrylamide content of starch-based casseroles by 50% would lead to acrylamide exposure that is only half of the original exposure. In conclusions, dietary modifications could have a large impact in decreasing acrylamide exposure.