Dietary Intake of Acrylamide and Risk of Breast, Endometrial, and Ovarian Cancers: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-analysis

Prediction acrylamide contents in fried dough twist based on the application of artificial neural network

Acrylamide forms through the reaction between reducing sugars and asparagine in the thermal processing of food. Detection measures like LC-MS, HPLC are time-consuming and costly, which inspired us to use back propagation-artificial neural networks (BP-ANN) based on a genetic algorithm to establish an acrylamide prediction model in fried dough twist. The effects of frying time and temperature on acrylamide contents, as well as the color difference and acid value at different time and temperature were determined. Acrylamide content was found significantly correlated with temperature (P < 0.01) and was correlated with acid value and color difference (P < 0.05). Thus, temperature, acid value, and the color difference were set as input layers, and acrylamide content was set as an output layer to establish a BP-ANN network prediction model. The weight and threshold values in the BP-ANN network prediction model were optimized with a multi-population genetic algorithm and the test data were set to obtain an optimized BP neural network predicting model. The results showed that the Levenberg-Marquardt back-propagation training algorithm of the BP-ANN model with 5 hidden layer neurons and 0.005 learning rate was the best predictive performance, which the correlation coefficients (R) of test and validation were 0.9640 and 0.8999, suggesting a good fitting and strong approximation ability. The BP-ANN model is expected to accurately predict the content of acrylamide in fried dough twist.

Acrylamide Exposure and Cardiovascular Risk: A Systematic Review

Background/Objectives: Acrylamide is a food contaminant formed during high-temperature cooking processes, leading to unintentional human exposure. Diet is the primary source for non-smokers, with potatoes, cereals, and coffee being the main contributors. While animal studies have demonstrated that acrylamide is neurotoxic, genotoxic, mutagenic, and cardiotoxic, its effects on human cardiovascular health remain poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the association between acrylamide exposure and cardiovascular risk. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across four databases without restrictions on publication year or language (last search: 1 July 2024). The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools. Results: In total, 28 studies were included, predominantly from the US NHANES sample and with cross-sectional designs. Higher acrylamide exposure was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality but was inversely associated with glucose and lipid levels, as well as key cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. Conversely, glycidamide-acrylamide's most reactive metabolite-was positively associated with elevated glucose and lipid levels, higher systolic blood pressure, and increased obesity prevalence. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the adverse cardiovascular effects of acrylamide may be mediated by its conversion to glycidamide. Further research is necessary to fully elucidate the impact of acrylamide on cardiovascular health. Meanwhile, public health efforts should continue to focus on mitigation strategies within the food industry and raising public awareness about exposure.

Coffee consumption and cardiometabolic health: a comprehensive review of the evidence

This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of longitudinal observational and interventional studies on the cardiometabolic effects of coffee consumption. It explores biological mechanisms, and clinical and policy implications, and highlights gaps in the evidence while suggesting future research directions. It also reviews evidence on the causal relationships between coffee consumption and cardiometabolic outcomes from Mendelian randomization (MR) studies. Findings indicate that while coffee may cause short-term increases in blood pressure, it does not contribute to long-term hypertension risk. There is limited evidence indicating that coffee intake might reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Furthermore, coffee consumption is consistently linked with reduced risks of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), showing dose-response relationships. The relationship between coffee and cardiovascular disease is complex, showing potential stroke prevention benefits but ambiguous effects on coronary heart disease. Moderate coffee consumption, typically ranging from 1 to 5 cups per day, is linked to a reduced risk of heart failure, while its impact on atrial fibrillation remains inconclusive. Furthermore, coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, following a U-shaped pattern, with the largest risk reduction observed at moderate consumption levels. Except for T2D and CKD, MR studies do not robustly support a causal link between coffee consumption and adverse cardiometabolic outcomes. The potential beneficial effects of coffee on cardiometabolic health are consistent across age, sex, geographical regions, and coffee subtypes and are multi-dimensional, involving antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, lipid-modulating, insulin-sensitizing, and thermogenic effects. Based on its beneficial effects on cardiometabolic health and fundamental biological processes involved in aging, moderate coffee consumption has the potential to contribute to extending the healthspan and increasing longevity. The findings underscore the need for future research to understand the underlying mechanisms and refine health recommendations regarding coffee consumption.

Bread Consumption and Cancer Risk: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

Because bread can contain potential carcinogens such as acrylamide, and is widely consumed, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine whether bread consumption is associated with increased cancer risk. PubMed and Medline databases were searched up to 1 March 2024, for studies that provided hazard ratios (HRs) (or similar) for bread consumption and cancer incidence or mortality. Only prospective cohort studies were included. We used the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist. Meta-analysis was performed with Cochrane's RevMan 5.4.1 software using a DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed with Cochrane's Q (χ2) and I 2 statistics, and publication bias was assessed with Egger's test. Twenty-four publications met inclusion criteria, including 1,887,074 adults, and were included in the systematic review. Ten publications that provided HRs were included in the meta-analysis for highest compared with lowest intakes, and an additional 7 publications that provided mortality or incident rate ratios or relative risks were included in supplemental meta-analyses. Of 108 reported HRs (or similar), 97 (79%) were either not statistically significant (n = 86) or indicated lower cancer risk (n = 11) associated with the highest intakes of bread. The meta-analysis indicated that bread intake was not associated with site-specific cancer risk [HR: 1.01; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.89, 1.14; P = 0.92; 8 publications] or total cancer mortality (HR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.73, 1.11; P = 0.32; 2 publications). Supplemental meta-analyses using all risk estimates in addition to HRs confirmed these findings. Whole-grain bread was associated with a lower site-specific cancer risk, mainly because of reduced colorectal cancer risk. Results of the systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that bread consumption is not associated with increased site-specific cancer risk, whereas high whole-grain/nonwhite bread consumption is associated with lower total cancer mortality and colorectal cancer risk. This study was registered at Clinical Trials Registry of PROSPERO as registration number CRD42023414156.

Acrylamide in alternative snacks to potato: A review

The snack food market has been changing to keep up with the growing demand for healthier products and, as a result, alternative products to traditional potato chips have been emerging to provide health-related benefits. Extrusion, frying, and baking are the main techniques used worldwide in the processing of snacks and are among the main reasons for the formation of toxic compounds induced by heat, such as acrylamide. This contaminant is formed during thermal processing in foods heated at high temperatures and rich in carbohydrates. Processed potato-based products have been pointed out as the main contributors to acrylamide dietary exposure. Many studies have been conducted on potato chips since the discovery of this contaminant in foods and research on the formation of acrylamide in snacks from other vegetables has begun to be conducted more recently. Thus, this review aims to present a detailed discussion on the occurrence of acrylamide in alternative vegetable snacks that are consumed as being healthier and to address relevant questions about the effectiveness of mitigation strategies that have been developed for these products. Through this research, it was observed that, depending on the vegetable, the levels of this contaminant can be quite variable. Alternative snacks, such as sweet potato, carrot and beetroot may also contain high levels of acrylamide and need to be monitored even more closely than potatoes snacks, as less information is available on these food products. Furthermore, various pretreatments (e.g. bleaching, immersion in solutions containing chemical substances) and processing conditions (heating methods, time, temperature) can reduce the formation of acrylamide (54-99 %) in alternative vegetable snacks.

Estimation of the Dietary Acrylamide Exposure of the Turkish Population: An Emerging Threat for Human Health

Acrylamide is a contaminant formed during heat treatment that poses potential health risks and occurs naturally in foods. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate exposure from the consumption of foods containing acrylamide since dietary exposure continues throughout life. In this study, the acrylamide exposure level of people living in Türkiye is estimated. Consumption of a total of 28 foods in 9 different food groups was calculated using a deterministic model under two different scenarios. The exposure levels were evaluated in terms of carcinogenic, non-carcinogenic and neurotoxic health risks. The daily total acrylamide exposure levels of individuals aged 15 and older were determined as 58 µg/day (0.85 µg/kg bw/day) and 196 µg/day (2.80 µg/kg bw/day) for the good and bad scenarios, respectively. The highest daily acrylamide exposure in the good scenario came from brewed black tea (29%), whereas French fries (50%) were the source of highest daily acrylamide exposure in the bad scenario. According to the hazard index (HI) and margin of exposure (MOE) data, the good scenario (all food) is considered safe, while the bad scenario (all food) has potential and serious health risks. According to the carcinogenic risk (CR) data, both scenarios carry significant health risks. It is therefore important that consumers, producers and official institutions collaborate and take measures to reduce acrylamide exposure.

Protective effect of rutin on acrylamide induced ovarian inflammation, oxidative stress, DNA damage, and hormonal changes: Based on in silico and in vivo study

Acrylamide (AA) is a carcinogenic compound that affects people due to its frequent use in laboratories and industry as well as the high-temperature cooking of foods with high hydrocarbon content. AA is known to cause severe reproductive abnormalities. The main aim of this study is to evaluate the protective effect of rutin (RU), a phytoactive compound, against AA-induced reproductive toxicity in female rats. Initially, rats were exposed to AA (40 mg/kg for 10 days). Therapy of RU was given after AA intoxication consecutively for 3 days. After 24 h of the last treatment, all the animals were sacrificed. The study evaluated reproductive hormones, oxidative stress markers, membrane-bound enzymes, DNA damage, histological findings, and an in silico approach to determine the protective efficacy of RU. The results indicated that RU significantly protected against inflammation, oxidative stress, and DNA damage induced by AA, likely due to its antioxidant properties.

Non-genetic factors and breast cancer: an umbrella review of meta-analyses

BACKGROUND

Previous research has found associations between various non-genetic factors and breast cancer (BrCa) risk. This study summarises and appraises the credibility of the available evidence on the association between non-genetic factors and BrCa risk.

METHODS

We conducted an umbrella review of meta-analyses. Medline, Scopus, and the Cochrane databases were systematically searched for meta-analyses examining non-genetic factors and BrCa incidence or mortality. The strength of the evidence was graded in four categories (i.e., weak, suggestive, highly suggestive, convincing).

RESULTS

A total of 781 meta-analyses from 280 publications were evaluated and graded. We included exposures related to anthropometric measurements, biomarkers, breast characteristics and diseases, diet and supplements, environment, exogenous hormones, lifestyle and social factors, medical history, medication, reproductive history, and pregnancy. The largest number of examined associations was found for the category of diet and supplements and for exposures such as aspirin use and active smoking. The statistically significant (P-value < 0.05) meta-analyses were 382 (49%), of which 204 (53.4%) reported factors associated with increased BrCa risk. Most of the statistically significant evidence (n = 224, 58.6%) was graded as weak. Convincing harmful associations with heightened BrCa risk were found for increased body mass index (BMI), BMI and weight gain in postmenopausal women, oral contraceptive use in premenopausal women, increased androstenedione, estradiol, estrone, and testosterone concentrations, high Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BIRADS) classification, and increased breast density. Convincing protective factors associated with lower BrCa risk included high fiber intake and high sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels while highly suggestive protective factors included high 25 hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels, adherence to healthy lifestyle, and moderate-vigorous physical activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest some highly modifiable factors that protect from BrCa. Interestingly, while diet was the most studied exposure category, the related associations failed to reach higher levels of evidence, indicating the methodological limitations in the field. To improve the validity of these associations, future research should utilise more robust study designs and better exposure assessment techniques. Overall, our study provides knowledge that supports the development of evidence-based BrCa prevention recommendations and guidance, both at an individual level and for public health initiatives.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42022370675.

Obesity Induces DNA Damage in Mammary Epithelial Cells Exacerbated by Acrylamide Treatment through CYP2E1-Mediated Oxidative Stress

Obesity and environmental toxins are risk factors for breast cancer; however, there is limited knowledge on how these risk factors interact to promote breast cancer. Acrylamide, a probable carcinogen and obesogen, is a by-product in foods prevalent in the obesity-inducing Western diet. Acrylamide is metabolized by cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) to the genotoxic epoxide, glycidamide, and is associated with an increased risk for breast cancer. To investigate how acrylamide and obesity interact to increase breast cancer risk, female mice were fed a low-fat (LFD) or high-fat diet (HFD) and control water or water supplemented with acrylamide at levels similar to the average daily exposure in humans. While HFD significantly enhanced weight gain in mice, the addition of acrylamide did not significantly alter body weights compared to respective controls. Mammary epithelial cells from obese, acrylamide-treated mice had increased DNA strand breaks and oxidative DNA damage compared to all other groups. In vitro, glycidamide-treated COMMA-D cells showed significantly increased DNA strand breaks, while acrylamide-treated cells demonstrated significantly higher levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species. The knockdown of CYP2E1 rescued the acrylamide-induced oxidative stress. These studies suggest that long-term acrylamide exposure through foods common in the Western diet may enhance DNA damage and the CYP2E1-induced generation of oxidative stress in mammary epithelial cells, potentially enhancing obesity-induced breast cancer risk.

Scientific Committee guidance on appraising and integrating evidence from epidemiological studies for use in EFSA's scientific assessments

EFSA requested its Scientific Committee to prepare a guidance document on appraising and integrating evidence from epidemiological studies for use in EFSA's scientific assessments. The guidance document provides an introduction to epidemiological studies and illustrates the typical biases, which may be present in different epidemiological study designs. It then describes key epidemiological concepts relevant for evidence appraisal. This includes brief explanations for measures of association, exposure assessment, statistical inference, systematic error and effect modification. The guidance then describes the concept of external validity and the principles of appraising epidemiological studies. The customisation of the study appraisal process is explained including tailoring of tools for assessing the risk of bias (RoB). Several examples of appraising experimental and observational studies using a RoB tool are annexed to the document to illustrate the application of the approach. The latter part of this guidance focuses on different steps of evidence integration, first within and then across different streams of evidence. With respect to risk characterisation, the guidance considers how evidence from human epidemiological studies can be used in dose-response modelling with several different options being presented. Finally, the guidance addresses the application of uncertainty factors in risk characterisation when using evidence from human epidemiological studies.

Estimation of intake and quantification of hemoglobin adducts of acrylamide in adolescents in Sweden

Blood samples (n = 600) from participants in the Swedish dietary survey Riksmaten Adolescents 2016-17 were analyzed with respect to hemoglobin (Hb) adducts from acrylamide (AA) and its metabolite glycidamide (GA) as biomarkers of internal dose/exposure. The results are presented from statistical analyses of food consumption data (2-day dietary recall and questionnaires) and measured Hb adduct levels. The estimated exposure as well as consumption data were examined in relation to non-dietary factors such as sex, age (group medians of 12, 15, and 18 years), place of residence (urban/rural), smoking status, and parental education level. The median AA adduct level was estimated to be 34 pmol/g Hb (range 14-225). No significant difference was found for place of residence, parental education, sex, or age. A significant difference was found between the median adduct levels of daily smokers (n = 8) and never smokers (n = 323) in the older age groups, but not between occasional smokers (n = 47) and never smokers. The median differences between daily smokers and never smokers were 76, 40, and 128 pmol/g Hb for AA, GA, and AA + GA, respectively. The median AA intake for the whole group of adolescents, as estimated from dietary recall data combined with reported concentrations in food, was 0.40 μg/kg bw/day. The corresponding median intake estimated from measured Hb adduct levels of AA was 0.20 μg/kg bw/day. A significant, although low, positive Spearman correlation was found between the two intake estimates (p-value = 8 × 10-3; ρ = 0.11). From the estimated intake of AA from food frequency questionnaires, significance was found for the 15-year-old children with higher AA adduct levels observed at higher consumption frequencies of fried potatoes/French fries. AA is considered a genotoxic carcinogen. For the estimated intake of AA for any age group and method (dietary recall or AA adduct), both a calculated margin of exposure as well as lifetime quantitative cancer risk estimates indicate health concern. A future study on food consumption designed with respect to AA exposure would provide a better understanding of the correlation between consumption and exposure and should give a more reliable estimate of the contribution of dietary AA to the overall cancer risk.

The burden of disease due to dietary exposure to acrylamide in Italy: A risk assessment-based approach

The aim of this study was to assess Italian consumers' risk of cancer and burden of disease due to dietary exposure to acrylamide. Our model considered six age groups such as infants, toddlers, other children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly, and the consumption of 31 food items. Using a risk-assessment-based approach, we first characterized the risk of neoplastic effects using the margin of exposure method. Then the risk of kidney, endometrial, breast, ovarian cancer, and total cancer was estimated using adjusted cancer slope factors while the burden of disease was quantified using Disability-adjusted Life Years (DALYs). The highest risk for females was related to breast cancer while the lowest was for kidney cancer. We found a comparable risk of total cancer among Italian males and females, estimated at around 1.59 to 3.57 cases per 100,000 individuals annually with the burden ranging between 12.3 - 25.4 and 11.4 - 24.1 DALYs respectively. Our findings provide insights on the multifaceted impact of acrylamide on public health by offering detailed insights into age-specific exposure levels, diverse cancer risks, and the dietary burden of disease related to acrylamide. Targeted interventions and policies can be developed towards mitigating the health risks associated with acrylamide exposure.

The role of microRNAs in acrylamide toxicity

The chemical compound known as Acrylamide (AA) is employed in different industries worldwide and is also found in thermal-processed food. AA has been acting as a reproductive toxicant, carcinogen, and neurotoxic in various animals, which may promote several toxic impacts in animal and human species. Up to now, various studies have focused on the harmful mechanisms and intervention actions of AA. However, the underlying mechanisms that AA and its toxic effects can exert have remained uncertain. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of short, non-coding RNAs that are able to act as epigenetic regulators. These molecules can regulate a wide range of cellular and molecular processes. In this regard, it has been shown that different chemical agents can dysregulate miRNAs. To determine the possible AA targets along with mechanisms of its toxicity, it is helpful to study the alteration in the profiles of miRNA regulation following AA intake. The current research aimed to evaluate the miRNAs' mediatory roles upon the AA's toxic potentials. This review study discussed the AA, which is made within the food matrix, the way it is consumed, and the potential impacts of AA on miRNAs and its association with different cancer types and degenerative diseases. The findings of this review paper indicated that AA might be capable of altering miRNA signatures in different tissues and exerting its carcinogen effects.

Dietary acrylamide-linked burden of cancers in four sub-sahara African countries: A review and data synthesis

Acrylamide (AA) is a food processing byproduct that forms at high temperatures and is classified as a probable human carcinogen. Previous studies have linked AA to kidney, uterus, and ovary cancer burdens, but its study in African countries remains underexplored. This study systematically used six recent articles on dietary AA concentration data from scholarly databases using specific search terms. We also collected health metrics secondary data from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation and other sources for the period 2015-2019. We used a Monte-Carlo simulation to integrate the dietary AA exposure, risks, and health metrics to estimate the cancer burdens. The results showed that the modal healthy life years lost ranged from 0.00488 (Ghana) to 0.218 (Ethiopia) per 100,000 population. The median statistic indicated 1.2 and 26.10 healthy life years lost for Ghana and Ethiopia, respectively, due to the three cancer types. The four-country study areas' total disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were 63.7 healthy life-year losses. Despite the limitations of the non-standardized age-related food consumption data and the few inclusive articles, the probabilistic approach may account for the uncertainties and provide valid conclusions.

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.

Toxicity, metabolism, and mitigation strategies of acrylamide: a comprehensive review

Acrylamide, a food-borne chemical toxicant, has raised global concern in recent decades. It mainly originated from reducing sugar and free amino acid interactions in the carbohydrate-rich foodstuffs heated at high temperatures. Due to the neurotoxicity and carcinogenicity of AA, the mechanism of formation, toxic effects on health, and mitigation strategies, including conventional approaches and innovative technologies, have been of great interest since its discovery in food. Potato products (especially French fries and crisps), coffee, and cereals(bread and biscuit) are renowned contributors to AA's daily intake. The best preventive methods discussed in the literature include time/temperature optimization, blanching, enzymatic treatment, yeast treatment, additives, pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, vacuum roasting, air frying, and irradiation, exhibiting a high efficacy in AA elimination in food products.

From a toxin to an obesogen: a review of potential obesogenic roles of acrylamide with a mechanistic approach

Obesity and obesity-related disorders such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver have become a global health problem. It is well known that the primary cause of obesity is positive energy balance. In addition, obesity is the consequence of complex gene and environment interactions that result in excess calorie intake being stored as fat. However, it has been revealed that there are other factors contributing to the worsening of obesity. The presence of nontraditional risk factors, such as environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals, has recently been associated with obesity and comorbidities caused by obesity. The aim of this review was to examine the evidence and potential mechanisms for acrylamide having endocrine-disrupting properties contributing to obesity and obesity-related comorbidities. Recent studies have suggested that exposure to environmental endocrine-disrupting obesogens may be a risk factor contributing to the current obesity epidemic, and that one of these obesogens is acrylamide, an environmental and industrial compound produced by food processing, particularly the processing of foods such as potato chips, and coffee. In addition to the known harmful effects of acrylamide in humans and experimental animals, such as neurotoxicity, genotoxicity, and carcinogenicity, acrylamide also has an obesogenic effect. It has been shown in the literature to a limited extent that acrylamide may disrupt energy metabolism, lipid metabolism, adipogenesis, adipocyte differentiation, and various signaling pathways, and may exacerbate the disturbances in metabolic and biochemical parameters observed as a result of obesity. Acrylamide exerts its main potential obesogenic effects through body weight increase, worsening of the levels of obesity-related blood biomarkers, and induction of adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis. Additional mechanisms may be discovered. Further experimental studies and prospective cohorts are needed, both to supplement existing knowledge about acrylamide and its effects, and to clarify its established relationship with obesity and its comorbidities.

Evidence-based identification of breast cancer and associated ovarian and uterus cancer risk components in source waters from high incidence area in the Pearl River Basin, China

Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterus cancer are among the most common female cancers. They are suspected to associate with exposures to specific environmental pollutants, which remain unidentified in source waters. In this work, we focused on the Pearl River Basin region in China, which experienced a high incidence of breast, ovarian, and uterus cancers. Combining cancer patient data, mammalian cell cytotoxicity analyses, and exhaustive historical and current chemical assessments, we for the first time identified source water components that promoted proliferation of mammalian cells, and confirmed their association with these female cancers via the estrogen receptor mediated pathway. Therefore, the components that have previously been found to enhance the proliferation of estrogen receptor-containing cells through endocrine disruption could be the crucial factor. Based on this, components that matched with this toxicological characteristic (i.e., estrogen-like effect) were further identified in source waters, including (1) organic components: phthalates, bisphenol A, nonylphenols, and per-/polyfluoroalkyls; (2) inorganic components: Sb, Co, As, and nitrate. Moreover, these identified water components were present at levels comparable to other regions with high female cancer prevalence, suggesting that the potential risk of these components may not be exclusive to the study region. Together, multiple levels of evidence suggested that long-term co-exposures to source water estrogenic components may be important to the development of breast, ovarian, and uterus cancers.

Two decades of research in dietary acrylamide: What do we know today

After nearly two decades since acrylamide was first raised as a potential safety issue in foods, significant progress has been made in understanding its formation during cooking, how to reduce levels in the most concerned foods, and the possible cancer risk to humans. Despite the huge wealth of knowledge gathered on this topic over the past years, a few new discoveries in occurrence, mitigation, analysis and risk assessment are worthy to note. This short review highlights the salient novelties pertaining to acrylamide, particularly in the areas of formation & analysis, existing and possible future regulations in the European Union, and finally considerations that may lead to possibly revisiting the toxicity of acrylamide and the main metabolite, glycidamide.

Pro-Vegetarian Food Patterns and Cancer Risk among Italians from the Moli-Sani Study Cohort

Besides the Mediterranean diet, there is a paucity of studies examining plant-based diets in relation to cancer outcomes in Mediterranean populations. We analyzed 22,081 apparently cancer-free participants (mean age 55 ± 12 year) from the Moli-sani study (enrollment period 2005-2010; Italy). A general pro-vegetarian food pattern was computed by assigning positive or negative scores to plant- or animal-derived foods, respectively from a 188-item FFQ. A priori healthful or unhealthful pro-vegetarian food patterns distinguished between healthy plant foods (e.g., fruits, vegetables) and less-healthy plant foods (e.g., fruit juices, refined grains). Cancer incidence was defined as the earliest diagnosis of cancer from hospital discharge records over a median follow-up of 12.9 years. In multivariable-adjusted analyses, a general pro-vegetarian food pattern was associated with a lower rate of cancer incidence (HR = 0.85; 95%CI 0.75-0.97 for Q5 vs. Q1); no association was observed between the healthful or unhealthful pro-vegetarian food patterns and overall cancer incidence. A healthful pro-vegetarian pattern, however, was inversely associated with digestive cancer (HR = 0.76; 95%CI 0.58-0.99 for Q5 vs. Q1), while the unhealthful pro-vegetarian pattern was directly linked to respiratory cancer (HR = 1.68; 95%CI 1.06-2.68 for Q5 vs. Q1). Our findings in a Mediterranean population support the hypothesis that some, but not all pro-vegetarian diets, might prevent some cancers.

Food contaminants and potential risk of diabetes development: A narrative review

The number of people diagnosed with diabetes continues to increase, especially among younger populations. Apart from genetic predisposition and lifestyle, there is increasing scientific and public concern that environmental agents may also contribute to diabetes. Food contamination by chemical substances that originate from packaging materials, or are the result of chemical reactions during food processing, is generally recognized as a worldwide problem with potential health hazards. Phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA) and acrylamide (AA) have been the focus of attention in recent years, due to the numerous adverse health effects associated with their exposure. This paper summarizes the available data about the association between phthalates, BPA and AA exposure and diabetes. Although their mechanism of action has not been fully clarified, in vitro, in vivo and epidemiological studies have made significant progress toward identifying the potential roles of phthalates, BPA and AA in diabetes development and progression. These chemicals interfere with multiple signaling pathways involved in glucose and lipid homeostasis and can aggravate the symptoms of diabetes. Especially concerning are the effects of exposure during early stages and the gestational period. Well-designed prospective studies are needed in order to better establish prevention strategies against the harmful effects of these food contaminants.

A comprehensive review on functional beverages from cereal grains-characterization of nutraceutical potential, processing technologies and product types

Due to growing consumer interest in fitness and wellbeing, foods and beverages with therapeutic and functional qualities are in higher demand. In addition to being significant staple crops and major providers of nutrition and energy, cereals are rich in bioactive phytochemicals with health benefits. Cereal grains offer a lot of promise for processing into functional beverages since these include a wide variety of bioactive phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds, carotenoids, dietary fibres, phytosterols, tocols, gamma-oryzanol, and phytic acid. Despite the fact that a wide variety of beverages made from cereal grains are produced globally, they have received very little technological and scientific attention. The beverages confer replacements for milk made from cereal grains, roasted cereal grain teas and fermented non-alcoholic cereal grain drinks. This review emphasizes on the three primary kinds of functional beverages made from cereal grains. Further, the potential applications and directions for the future related to these beverages are discussed with elaborated processing methods, health benefits and product attributes. Cereal grain-based beverages may represent a promising new class of healthy functional beverages in our daily lives as the food industry gets more diverse.

Endometrial cancer diagnostic and prognostic algorithms based on proteomics, metabolomics, and clinical data: a systematic review

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecological malignancy in developed countries. Over 382,000 new cases were diagnosed worldwide in 2018, and its incidence and mortality are constantly rising due to longer life expectancy and life style factors including obesity. Two major improvements are needed in the management of patients with endometrial cancer, i.e., the development of non/minimally invasive tools for diagnostics and prognostics, which are currently missing. Diagnostic tools are needed to manage the increasing number of women at risk of developing the disease. Prognostic tools are necessary to stratify patients according to their risk of recurrence pre-preoperatively, to advise and plan the most appropriate treatment and avoid over/under-treatment. Biomarkers derived from proteomics and metabolomics, especially when derived from non/minimally-invasively collected body fluids, can serve to develop such prognostic and diagnostic tools, and the purpose of the present review is to explore the current research in this topic. We first provide a brief description of the technologies, the computational pipelines for data analyses and then we provide a systematic review of all published studies using proteomics and/or metabolomics for diagnostic and prognostic biomarker discovery in endometrial cancer. Finally, conclusions and recommendations for future studies are also given.

Acrylamide and Glycidamide Hemoglobin Adduct Levels and Breast Cancer Risk in Japanese Women: A Nested Case-Control Study in the JPHC

BACKGROUND

Acrylamide (AA) is classified as "probably carcinogenic to humans (class 2A)" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. AA causes cancer owing to its mutagenic and genotoxic metabolite, glycidamide (GA), and its effects on sex hormones. Both AA and GA can interact with hemoglobin to hemoglobin adducts (HbAA and HbGA, respectively), which are considered appropriate biomarkers of internal exposure of AA. However, few epidemiologic studies reported an association of HbAA and HbGA with breast cancer.

METHODS

We conducted a nested case-control study within the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study cohort (125 cases and 250 controls). Cases and controls were categorized into tertiles (lowest, middle, and highest) using the distribution of HbAA or HbGA levels in the control group and estimated ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using conditional logistic regression, adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS

No association was observed between HbAA (ORHighestvs.Lowest, 1.34; 95% CI, 0.69-2.59), HbGA (ORHighest vs. Lowest, 1.46; 95% CI, 0.79-2.69), their sum HbAA+HbGA (ORHighest vs. Lowest, 1.36; 95% CI, 0.72-2.58) and breast cancer; however, some evidence of positive association was observed between their ratio, HbGA/HbAA, and breast cancer (ORHighest vs. Lowest, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.11-4.31).

CONCLUSIONS

There was no association between biomarkers of AA and breast cancer.

IMPACT

It is unlikely that AA increases breast cancer risk; however, the association of AA with breast cancer may need to be evaluated, with a focus not only on the absolute amount of HbAA or HbGA but also on HbGA/HbAA and the activity of metabolic genes.

Acrylamide in food: Occurrence, metabolism, molecular toxicity mechanism and detoxification by phytochemicals

Acrylamide (ACR) is a common pollutant formed during food thermal processing such as frying, baking and roasting. ACR and its metabolites can cause various negative effects on organisms. To date, there have been some reviews summarizing the formation, absorption, detection and prevention of ACR, but there is no systematic summary on the mechanism of ACR-induced toxicity. In the past five years, the molecular mechanism for ACR-induced toxicity has been further explored and the detoxification of ACR by phytochemicals has been partly achieved. This review summarizes the ACR level in foods and its metabolic pathways, as well as highlights the mechanisms underlying ACR-induced toxicity and ACR detoxification by phytochemicals. It appears that oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, autophagy, biochemical metabolism and gut microbiota disturbance are involved in various ACR-induced toxicities. In addition, the effects and possible action mechanisms of phytochemicals, including polyphenols, quinones, alkaloids, terpenoids, as well as vitamins and their analogs on ACR-induced toxicities are also discussed. This review provides potential therapeutic targets and strategies for addressing various ACR-induced toxicities in the future.

Food processing and risk of central nervous system tumours: A preliminary case-control analysis from the MEditerranean DIet in relation to CancEr of brAin (MEDICEA) study

BACKGROUND

The relationship between diet and central nervous system (CNS) tumours was almost exclusively focused on food composition. We evaluated the relationship of different degrees of food processing with risk of CNS tumours.

METHODS

The study sample included 44 CNS tumours cases (20 non-malignant and 24 malignant) recruited from the Neurosurgery Department at the IRCCS Neuromed (Italy), and 88 controls matched 1:2 for sex and age± 10 years, identified from the Moli-sani Study. Dietary intake was assessed using a 188-item FFQ. Food items were grouped according to the NOVA classification on the basis of processing as: (1) unprocessed/minimally processed foods; (2) processed culinary ingredients; (3) processed foods; and (4) ultra-processed food (UPF). Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) of dietary contributions from each NOVA group (as weight ratio on the total food eaten) and adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS

In a multivariable conditional to match logistic regression analysis also controlled for overall diet quality, 1% increment in UPF intake was associated with higher odds of all CNS tumours (OR = 1.06; 1.01-1.13), particularly of malignant CNS tumours (OR = 1.11; 1.02-1.22), while no association with non-malignant CNS tumours was found (OR = 1.06; 0.99-1.15). In contrast, only processed food was inversely associated with risk of both CNS tumours overall (OR = 0.94; 0.90-0.98) and of malignant CNS tumours (OR = 0.90; 0.83-0.96).

CONCLUSION

Increasing UPF intake was associated with higher risk of CNS tumours, especially malignant ones, independently of the overall diet quality, while only processed food (but not UPF) was inversely related to the risk of this disease.

Ultra-processed food consumption, cancer risk and cancer mortality: a large-scale prospective analysis within the UK Biobank

Background

Global dietary patterns are increasingly dominated by relatively cheap, highly palatable, and ready-to-eat ultra-processed foods (UPFs). However, prospective evidence is limited on cancer development and mortality in relation to UPF consumption. This study examines associations between UPF consumption and risk of cancer and associated mortality for 34 site-specific cancers in a large cohort of British adults.

Methods

This study included a prospective cohort of UK Biobank participants (aged 40-69 years) who completed 24-h dietary recalls between 2009 and 2012 (N = 197426, 54.6% women) and were followed up until Jan 31, 2021. Food items consumed were categorised according to their degree of food processing using the NOVA food classification system. Individuals' UPF consumption was expressed as a percentage of total food intake (g/day). Prospective associations were assessed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for baseline socio-demographic characteristics, smoking status, physical activity, body mass index, alcohol and total energy intake.

Findings

The mean UPF consumption was 22.9% (SD 13.3%) in the total diet. During a median follow-up time of 9.8 years, 15,921 individuals developed cancer and 4009 cancer-related deaths occurred. Every 10 percentage points increment in UPF consumption was associated with an increased incidence of overall (hazard ratio, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04) and specifically ovarian (1.19; 1.08-1.30) cancer. Furthermore, every 10 percentage points increment in UPF consumption was associated with an increased risk of overall (1.06; 1.03-1.09), ovarian (1.30; 1.13-1.50), and breast (1.16; 1.02-1.32) cancer-related mortality.

Interpretation

Our UK-based cohort study suggests that higher UPF consumption may be linked to an increased burden and mortality for overall and certain site-specific cancers especially ovarian cancer in women.

Funding

The Cancer Research UK and World Cancer Research Fund.

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.

Determining the Levels of Acrylamide in Some Traditional Foods Unique to Turkey and Risk Assessment

In this study, exposure risk assessment was made by determining the acrylamide levels of some traditional foods frequently consumed by the Turkish society and registered geographical indication. For this purpose, acrylamide levels of 20 traditional foods [7 meat products, 3 loaves of bread, 3 bagels (simit), and 7 desserts] obtained from different bakeries, patisseries, and restaurants were determined by LC-MS/MS. Acrylamide levels were determined between 12.7 - 299 μg/kg in meat products, 11.8 - 69.3 μg/kg in bread, 11.8 - 179 μg/kg in bagels, 11.7 - 85.0 μg/kg in baked desserts, and 32.3 - 527 μg/kg in deep-fried desserts. According to the portion size, the food with the highest acrylamide level in meat products is Adana kebab (17.70 μg/180 g). Formulation and cooking techniques are thought to be the main determinants of acrylamide level detected in traditional foods. Dietary acrylamide exposure was calculated according to the deterministic model. Exposure was calculated as 0.20, 0.53, and 0.98 μg/kg bw per day for good, average and bad scenarios, respectively. The calculated acrylamide exposure value is below the reference values stated by FAO/WHO. The acrylamide dietary exposure was not of concern concerning neurotoxicity and carcinogenicity. The results can be used to reduce acrylamide levels in foods and risk assessment studies.

Metabolomics strategy comprehensively unveils the effect of catechins intervention on the biomarkers of exposure to acrylamide and biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk

Polyphenolic antioxidants have been suggested to control the generation of acrylamide during thermal reactions. However, their role in protecting against the toxicity of acrylamide and the mechanism of action regarding profile alteration of biomarkers and metabolome remains unclear. A total of 65 adults were randomized into tea polyphenols (TP) and control groups and served with potato chips, which corresponded to an intake level of 12.6 μg/kg·bw of acrylamide, followed by capsules containing 200 mg, 100 mg or 50 mg TP, or equivalent placebo. Moreover, nontargeted urinary metabolomics analysis in acrylamide exposed rats was conducted using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography linked with a quadrupole-orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry. Our results showed that supplementation with catechins promoted the excretion of N-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-l-cysteine in both humans and rats. We also found that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) or epicatechin (EC) intervention attenuated the ratio of hemoglobin adduct of glycidamide to hemoglobin adduct of acrylamide in rat blood. Metabolomics analysis revealed that EGCG/EC intervention regulated the differential expressed metabolites, including l-glutamic acid, 2-oxoglutarate, citric acid, and cysteinylglycine. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis further showed acrylamide-induced metabolic disorders were improved after EGCG/EC supplementation by glycolipid metabolism (alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, and d-Glutamine and d-glutamate metabolism) and energy metabolism (tricarboxylic acid cycle). Notably, the supplement use of EGCG prevented the cardiometabolic risk after exposure to acrylamide by mediating the phenylalanine and hippuric acid in phenylalanine metabolism. Here we showed the beneficial effect of catechins as major polyphenolic antioxidant ingredients on the toxicity of acrylamide by the changes in biomarkers from metabolic profile analysis based on human and animal studies. These findings shed light into the catechins as natural polyphenolic antioxidants that could be a therapeutic ingredient for preventing acrylamide-induced cardiometabolic toxicity.

Dietary exposure to acrylamide and breast cancer risk: results from the NutriNet-Santé cohort

BACKGROUND

Acrylamide is classified as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer but epidemiologic evidence on the carcinogenicity of acrylamide from dietary sources is limited.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the associations between dietary acrylamide and breast cancer risk in the NutriNet-Santé cohort, accounting for menopausal and hormone receptor status.

METHODS

This prospective cohort study included 80,597 French females (mean ± SD age at baseline: 40.8 ± 14 y) during a mean ± SD follow-up of 8.8 ± 2.3 y. Acrylamide intake was evaluated using repeated 24-h dietary records (n ± SD = 5.5 ± 3.0), linked to a comprehensive food composition database. Associations between acrylamide intake and breast cancer risk (overall, premenopausal, and postmenopausal) were assessed by Cox hazard models adjusted for known risk factors (sociodemographic, anthropometric, lifestyle, medical history, and nutritional factors).

RESULTS

The mean ± SD dietary acrylamide intake was 30.1 ± 21.9 µg/d (main contributors: coffee, potato fries and chips, pastries, cakes, bread). During follow-up, 1016 first incident breast cancer cases were diagnosed (431 premenopausal, 585 postmenopausal). A borderline significant positive association was observed between dietary acrylamide exposure and breast cancer risk overall (HR for quartile 4 compared with 1: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.47) and a positive association was observed with premenopausal cancer (HRQ4vs.Q1: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.88). Restricted cubic spline analyses suggested evidence for nonlinearity of these associations, with higher HRs for intermediate (quartile 2) and high (quartile 4) exposures. Receptor-specific analyses revealed positive associations with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer (total and premenopausal). Acrylamide intake was not associated with postmenopausal breast cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Results from this large prospective cohort study suggest a positive association between dietary acrylamide and breast cancer risk, especially in premenopausal females, and provide new insights that support continued mitigation strategies to reduce the content of acrylamide in food.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03335644.

Maternal acrylamide exposure during pregnancy and fetal growth: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of epidemiological studies

BACKGROUND

Acrylamide is a food contaminant linked to developmental toxicity in animals and possibly in humans.

OBJECTIVES

We performed a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of epidemiological studies evaluating the relationship between maternal acrylamide exposure during pregnancy and the risk of being small for gestational age (SGA) and birth weight, birth head circumference and birth length.

METHODS

We performed the literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, until June 6th, 2022. Studies carried out in mother-newborn pairs, assessing maternal acrylamide exposure during pregnancy, either via dietary assessments or biomarkers i.e., hemoglobin adducts of acrylamide (AA-Hb) and glycidamide (GA-Hb), and evaluating birth outcomes were included. We employed a random-effects model to assess the pooled effect estimates and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between acrylamide exposure and birth outcomes. Risk of Bias for Nutrition Observational Studies tool was used for bias assessment.

RESULTS

Out of 169 records identified, five original studies were eligible, including 53,870 mother-newborn pairs in total. Means were 21.9 μg/day for estimated dietary acrylamide exposure (3 studies), and 18.4 and 14.9 pmol/g for AA-Hb and GA-Hb, respectively (2 studies). Higher risk of SGA and lower birth weight and head circumference were observed in the highest quartile of AA-Hb [odds ratio (OR): 1.20 (95% CI: 1.08; 1.33); mean difference (MD): -131 g (95% CI: -204; -58) and -0.31 cm (95% CI: -0.58; -0.04), respectively], and GA-Hb [OR: 1.36 (95% CI: 1.13; 1.64), MD: -161 g (95% CI: -271; -52); and MD: -0.38 cm (95% CI: -0.66; -0.10), respectively], whereas a lower birth length was observed only in the highest quartile of GA-Hb (MD: -0.85 cm (95% CI: -1.38; -0.33). Results from the dose-response meta-analysis between increasing maternal acrylamide exposure during pregnancy and birth weight showed no clear evidence of a deviation from linearity.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, our findings strengthen the evidence of an adverse effect of maternal acrylamide exposure during pregnancy on fetal growth. These results encourage to increase preventive actions towards lowering acrylamide exposure in the population.

Acrylamide-Derived Ionome, Metabolic, and Cell Cycle Alterations Are Alleviated by Ascorbic Acid in the Fission Yeast

Acrylamide (AA), is a chemical with multiple industrial applications, however, it can be found in foods that are rich in carbohydrates. Due to its genotoxic and cytotoxic effects, AA has been classified as a potential carcinogen. With the use of spectrophotometry, ICP-OES, fluorescence spectroscopy, and microscopy cell growth, metabolic activity, apoptosis, ROS production, MDA formation, CAT and SOD activity, ionome balance, and chromosome segregation were determined in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. AA caused growth and metabolic activity retardation, enhanced ROS and MDA production, and modulated antioxidant enzyme activity. This led to damage to the cell homeostasis due to ionome balance disruption. Moreover, AA-induced oxidative stress caused alterations in the cell cycle regulation resulting in chromosome segregation errors, as 4.07% of cells displayed sister chromatid non-disjunction during mitosis. Ascorbic acid (AsA, Vitamin C), a strong natural antioxidant, was used to alleviate the negative impact of AA. Cell pre-treatment with AsA significantly improved AA impaired growth, and antioxidant capacity, and supported ionome balance maintenance mainly due to the promotion of calcium uptake. Chromosome missegregation was reduced to 1.79% (44% improvement) by AsA pre-incubation. Results of our multiapproach analyses suggest that AA-induced oxidative stress is the major cause of alteration to cell homeostasis and cell cycle regulation.

Association Between Ultra-Processed Food Intake and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) has increased worldwide during the last decades because they are hyperpalatable, cheap, and ready-to-consume products. However, uncertainty exists about their impact on health. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the association of UPF consumption with all-cause mortality risk. Five bibliographic databases were searched for relevant studies. Random effects models were used to calculate pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Of 6,951 unique citations, 40 unique prospective cohort studies comprising 5,750,133 individuals were included; publication dates ranged from 1984 to 2021. Compared with low consumption, highest consumption of UPF (RR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.17, 1.42), sugar-sweetened beverages (RR = 1.11, 95% CI, 1.04, 1.18), artificially sweetened beverages (RR = 1.14, 95% CI, 1.05, 1.22), and processed meat/red meat (RR = 1.15, 95% CI, 1.10, 1.21) were significantly associated with increased risk of mortality. However, breakfast cereals were associated with a lower mortality risk (RR = 0.85, 95% CI, 0.79, 0.92). This meta-analysis suggests that high consumption of UPF, sugar-sweetened beverages, artificially sweetened beverages, processed meat, and processed red meat might increase all-cause mortality, while breakfast cereals might decrease it. Future studies are needed to address lack of standardized methods in UPF categorization.

Cancer risk and disease burden of dietary acrylamide exposure in China, 2016

BACKGROUND

Acrylamide is widely found in food as a side-product of high-temperature heating of starch-rich food. It has attracted much attention because of its neurotoxicity and carcinogenicity. However, the cancer risk and disease burden of dietary acrylamide exposure have not been quantified in China.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the cancer risk and the disease burden attributable to dietary acrylamide exposure and quantify its health hazards.

METHOD

We first performed an exposure assessment of acrylamide in food, based on which the incremental excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) was calculated for cancer risk assessment. The DisMod Ⅱ software and the DALY calculator in R were used to calculate the disease burden due to dietary acrylamide exposure.

RESULTS

Average dietary acrylamide exposure in males was 0.1531 μg·kg^-1·d^-1 and that in females was 0.1554 μg·kg^-1·d^-1, resulting in an ELCR of 7.81 × 10^-5 for males and 7.92 × 10^-5 for females in China. The dietary acrylamide exposure resulted in about 23,688.09 DALYs of cancers among the Chinese population in 2016, including 1331.93 DALYs of breast cancer, 243.32 DALYs of endometrial cancer, 248.91 DALYs of ovarian cancer, and 176.28 DALYs of kidney cancer, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The health hazards of dietary acrylamide exposure deserve attention. The burden of disease assessment could quantify the health hazards of food contaminants for prioritizing policies.

Stimulating the expression of sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) is beneficial to reduce acrylamide-induced nerve cell damage

Sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) is an important signaling molecule for cell proliferation and survival. However, the role of SphK1 in acrylamide (ACR)-induced nerve injury remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role and potential mechanism of SphK1 in ACR-induced nerve injury. Liquid chromatography triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) were used to detect sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) content in serum and SphK1 content in whole blood from an occupational work group exposed to ACR compared to a non-exposed group. For in vitro experiments, SphK1 in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells was activated using SphK1-specific activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Our research also utilized cell viability assays, flow cytometry, western blots, RT-qPCR and related protein detection to assess activity of the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. The results of the population study showed that the contents of SphK1 and S1P in the ACR-exposed occupational contact group were lower than in the non-exposed group. The results of in vitro experiments showed that expression of SphK1 decreased with the increase in ACR concentration. Activating SphK1 improved the survival rate of SH-SY5Y cells and decreased the apoptosis rate. Activating SphK1 in SH-SY5Y cells also regulated MAPK signaling, including enhancing the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERK) and inhibiting the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38. These results suggest that activating SphK1 can protect against nerve cell damage caused by ACR.

Acrylamide and Potential Risk of Diabetes Mellitus: Effects on Human Population, Glucose Metabolism and Beta-Cell Toxicity

Diabetes mellitus is a frequent endocrine disorder characterized by hyperglycemia. Acrylamide (AA) is food contaminant formed during the high-temperature processing of food rich in carbohydrates and low in proteins. Recent human epidemiological studies have shown a potential association between AA exposure and the prevalence of diabetes in the general population. In male rats, AA treatment promoted pancreatic islet remodeling, which was determined by alpha-cell expansion and beta-cell reduction, while in female rats AA caused hyperglycemia and histopathological changes in pancreatic islets. In vitro and in vivo rodent model systems have revealed that AA induces oxidative stress in beta cells and that AA impairs glucose metabolism and the insulin signaling pathway. Animal studies have shown that diabetic rodents are more sensitive to acrylamide and that AA aggravates the diabetic state. In this review, we provide an overview of human epidemiological studies that examined the relation between AA exposure and glucose disorders. In addition, the effects of AA treatment on pancreatic islet structure, beta-cell function and glucose metabolism in animal models are comprehensively analyzed with an emphasis on sex-related responses. Furthermore, oxidative stress as a putative mechanism of AA-induced toxicity in beta cells is explored. Finally, we discuss the effects of AA on diabetics in a rodent model system.

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.

Acrylamide in widely consumed foods - a review

Acrylamide (AA) is considered genotoxic, neurotoxic and a 'probable human carcinogen'. It is included in group 2 A of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The formation of AA occurs when starch-based foods are subjected to temperatures higher than 120 °C in an atmosphere with very low water content. The aim of this review is to shed light on the toxicological aspects of AA, showing its regulatory evolution, and describing the most interesting mitigation techniques for each food category involved, with a focus on compliance with EU legislation in the various classes of consumer products of industrial origin in Europe.

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.

Determination of N7-glycidamide guanine adducts in human blood DNA following exposure to dietary acrylamide using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

RATIONALE

Acrylamide is classified as a probable human carcinogen that is metabolised to glycidamide, which can covalently bind to DNA. The aim of this study was to investigate the formation of N7-glycidamide guanine (N7-GA-Gua) adducts in human blood DNA following exposure to acrylamide present in carbohydrate-rich foods as part of the normal human diet.

METHODS

Lymphocyte DNA was extracted from blood samples obtained from healthy human volunteers. Following thermal depurination of the DNA samples, N7-GA-Gua adducts were quantified using a validated liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method incorporating a stable isotope labelled internal standard. Estimated dietary acrylamide intake was recorded by completion of food frequency questionnaires for the 24 hours prior to volunteer blood donation.

RESULTS

An LC/MS/MS method was validated with a limit of detection of 0.25 fmol and a lower limit of quantitation of 0.50 fmol on column. N7-GA-Gua adducts were detected in human blood DNA with the levels ranging between 0.3 to 6.3 adducts per 10⁸ nucleotides. The acrylamide intake was calculated from the food frequency questionnaires ranging between 20.0 and 78.6 μg.

CONCLUSIONS

Identification and quantification of N7-GA-Gua adducts in the blood DNA of healthy volunteers suggests that dietary acrylamide exposure may lead to the formation of DNA adducts. This important finding warrants further investigation to ascertain a correlation between environmental/dietary acrylamide exposure and levels of DNA adducts.

Sodium Intake and Risk of Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-analysis of Observational Cohort Studies

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW

To assess the relationship between sodium intake and hypertension risk in cohort studies, based on a systematic review up to January 21, 2022, that also employed a dose-response meta-analysis.

RECENT FINDINGS

Dose-response analysis of available cohort studies (n = 11), using a dietary intake or urinary sodium excretion of 2 g/day as the reference category, showed an excess risk starting at 3 g/day. However, we found a linear relationship across the entire range of sodium exposure in an analysis restricted to studies that used 24 h urinary sodium excretion information and had a low risk of bias. This review confirms prior findings based on experimental studies and identified an almost linear relationship between sodium intake/excretion and hypertension risk in cohort studies, reinforcing the validity of recommendations to prevent cardiovascular disease through the reduction of sodium intake in both normotensive and hypertensive adults.

Cadmium exposure and risk of diabetes and prediabetes: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Cadmium exposure has been associated with increased diabetes risk in several studies, though there is still considerable debate about the magnitude and shape of the association.

OBJECTIVE

To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies investigating the relation between cadmium exposure and risk of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, and to summarize data on the magnitude and shape of the association.

DATA SOURCE

After conducting an online literature search through October 1, 2021, we identified 42 eligible studies investigating the association between cadmium exposure and risk of diabetes and prediabetes.

STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

We included studies that assessed cadmium exposure through biomarker levels; examined type 2 diabetes or prediabetes among outcomes; and reported effect estimates for cadmium exposure for meta-analysis only.

STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS

Studies were evaluated using ROBINS-E risk of bias tool. We quantitively assessed the relation between exposure and study outcomes using one-stage dose-response meta-analysis with a random effects meta-analytical model.

RESULTS

In the meta-analysis, comparing highest-versus-lowest cadmium exposure levels, summary relative risks (RRs) for type 2 diabetes were 1.24 (95% confidence interval 0.96-1.59), 1.21 (1.00-1.45), and 1.47 (1.01-2.13) for blood, urinary, and toenail matrices, respectively. Similarly, there was an increased risk of prediabetes for cadmium concentrations in both urine (RR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.15-1.73) and blood (RR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.16-1.63). In the dose-response meta-analysis, we observed a consistent linear positive association between cadmium exposure and diabetes risk, with RRs of 1.25 (0.90-1.72) at 2.0 µg/g of creatinine. Conversely for blood cadmium, diabetes risk appeared to increase only above 1 µg/L. Prediabetes risk increased up to approximately 2 µg/g creatinine above which it reached a plateau with RR of 1.42 (1.12-1.76) at 2 µg/g creatinine.

LIMITATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

This analysis provides moderate-certainty evidence for a positive association between cadmium exposure (measured in multiple matrices) and risk of both diabetes and prediabetes.

Association of acrylamide hemoglobin biomarkers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the general population in the US: NHANES 2013-2016

Background: Acrylamide is a well-known potential carcinogenic compound formed as an intermediate in the Maillard reaction during heat treatment, mainly from high-temperature frying, and is found in baked goods and coffee, as well as resulting from water treatment, textiles and paper processing. The effects of acrylamide on lung disease in humans remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the association between blood acrylamide and glycidamide and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the United States of America (U.S.) population using PROC logistic regression models. Results: 2744 participants aged 20 to 80 from the 2013-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were enrolled. After adjusting for demographic data, health factors and serum cotinine, the ratio of HbGA to HbAA (HbGA/HbAA) significantly increased the risk of COPD (P for trend = 0.022). The odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for HbGA/HbAA in the third tile was 2.45 (1.12-5.31), compared with the lowest tile. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) curve showed a positive linear correlation between the log (HbGA/HbAA) and the risk of COPD (P = 0.030). Conclusion: The ratio of glycidamide and acrylamide (HbGA/HbAA) was associated with COPD. This association was more prominent in males, obese individuals, people with a poverty income ratio (PIR) < 1.85 or people who never exercise. However, null associations were observed between HbAA, HbGA and HbAA + HbGA, and COPD.