Some nitrosocompounds that are formed during food preservation, as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and heterocyclic amines (HA) formed during cooking, may have carcinogenic activity. An accurate assessment of dietary intake of such compounds is difficult, mainly because they are not naturally present in foods, and they are not included in standard food composition tables. Our objective was to develop a food composition database of nitrates, nitrites, nitrosamines, HA, and PAH. We conducted a literature search on the food content of these compounds using the Medline and EMBASE databases. We gathered the following information: 1) Food information: name, cooking methods, preservation methods, cooking doneness, temperature, and time; 2) compound information: type, quantity, value type, analytic method, and sampling methods; and 3) publication information: year, author, and country. We developed a table that includes 207 food items with information concerning the concentration of nitrites, nitrates, and nitrosamines, 297 food items with information about HA concentration and 313 food items with information about PAH. The database is based on 139 references from 23 different countries. It is arranged according to compounds and food groups to facilitate its practical use. The potential limitations are due to the quality of the information we could obtain through Medline and EMBASE databases. This database will allow investigators to quantify dietary exposure to several potential carcinogens, and to analyze their relation to the risk of cancer.

The objective of the present study was to estimate the dietary intake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), particularly benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), as well as to identify the principal dietary sources of such compounds in the Spanish adult population. The study included 40,690 subjects aged 35 to 64 years from five regions of Spain that were included in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)–Spain cohort. Usual food intake was estimated by personal interview through a computerized version of a dietary history questionnaire. The estimations of B[a]P and total PAHs were made, taking into account the country where the determinations of content of these compounds in the foods came from and the year of publication. The mean intake of B[a]P in the population was 0.14 μg/day, and the mean intake of total PAHs was 8.57 μg/day. Both for B[a]P and total PAHs, women had a significantly lower mean intake than men, and older people consumed lesser amounts than younger people. Furthe...

Objective: To conduct a comprehensive assessment of dietary intakes of nitrites andN-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA).Subjects and setting: A study was conducted within the Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation in Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) to assess the intake and food sources of these compounds in Spanish adults. The study included 41 446 health volunteers, aged 29–69 years, from Northern and Southern regions. Usual food intake was estimated by in-person interviews using a computerised dietary questionnaire.Results: The estimated geometric mean was 0.994 mg day⁻¹for nitrites and 0.114 μg day⁻¹for NDMA. For both compounds a positive trend in consumption with increasing energy intake was observed. Dietary NDMA was related to age and sex after energy adjustment, while nitrite consumption increased with higher intakes of vitamin C (P< 0.001). The food groups that contributed most to intakes were meat products, cereals, vegetables and fruits for nitrites, and processed meat, beer, cheese and broiled fish for NDMA. Current and past smokers, who had high levels of NDMA from tobacco exposure, were also identified as the highest consumers of dietary NDMA. Furthermore, smokers had low intakes of vitamin C (an inhibitor of endogenous nitrosation).Conclusions: Intake levels of NDMA and nitrites in a Mediterranean cohort are currently relatively lower than those previously reported, although processed meat, beer and cured cheese still are the most important contributors to NDMA intake.

To assess the intake of glucosinolates and cruciferous vegetables among Spanish adults. Cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort study. The Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). We analysed data from 40 684 men and women aged 35–64 years from the EPIC-Spain cohort. The usual diet was assessed by means of the dietary history method, and glucosinolate intake was calculated using a published food composition database. The average intake of cruciferous vegetables was 11.3 g/day, accounting for about 5% of total vegetable consumption, whereas the daily intake of total glucosinolates was 6.5 mg, among which 35% were of indole type. The absolute intake of glucosinolates was in average higher in men than in women (6.8 vs 6.2 mg/day), whereas glucosinolate density per energy unit was higher in women's diet (3.4 vs 2.7 mg/4200 kJ). Northern regions consumed in average 36% more glucosinolates than Southern regions (7.3 vs 5.4 mg/day). There was a positive association of glucosinolate intake with body mass index, physical activity, educational level and an inverse relationship with alcohol consumption. Contrary to the pattern seen for total vegetable intake, our estimate of consumption of cruciferous vegetables, and hence of glucosinolates, is relatively low within Europe, which in turn is lower than in North America and several Asian populations.

The objective of this study was to describe prior negative screening history and symptoms around the time of diagnosis of incident cervical cancer (CC) cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2010 within the Asturias public health system. Records from 374 women diagnosed with CC between 2000 and 2010 from all public hospitals in Asturias were retrieved. Clinical information, FIGO stage and all previous cytological data were extracted from clinical and histopathological records. Proportional differences were assessed using chi-square tests. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Inter-observer agreement in cytology was checked by comparing concordance values using k-statistics. No prior screening history was recorded in 60.7% of CC cases and its absence increased with age and advanced stage. Advanced stage (e.g., ≥ II) at diagnosis was associated with age (>50 years) and adenocarcinoma (ADC) compared to younger women and those with a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). False negative smears were identified in 27.1% of women with CC (ADC 52.6% vs. SCC 16.2%, p<0.05). Absence of prior screening history was common among CC cases. Organized actions to reduce “under screening” and the use of highly sensitive HPV-based tests could be useful strategies in reducing the burden of CC in Asturias.

Aromatic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, arylamines and heterocyclic amines require metabolic activation to form metabolites able to bind to DNA, a process mediated by polymorphic enzymes. We measured aromatic DNA adducts in white blood cells by the ³² P-post-labelling assay in a sample of 296 healthy adults (147 men and 149 women) from five regions of Spain. We also analyzed functional polymorphisms in the metabolic genes CYP1A1 , CYP1A2 , EPHX1 , GSTM1 , GSTT1 , NAT2 and SULT1A1 . A significant increased level of DNA aromatic adducts was found related to the fast oxidation–hydrolysis phenotype defined by the polymorphism I462V in CYP1A1 , the allele A in IVS1−154C>A of CYP1A2 and the combination Tyrosine–Arginine for Y113H and H139R of EPHX1 . Geometric means (adducts per 10 ⁻⁹ normal nucleotides) were 2.17, 4.04 and 6.30 for slow, normal and fast phenotypes, respectively ( P -trend = 0.01). Slow acetylation by NAT2 was associated with a significant decrease in adduct level; subjects with slow alleles *5A and *7A/B had in average 1.56 × 10 ⁻⁹ adducts, as compared with 5.60 for those with normal NAT2 activity ( P -value = 0.01). No association was seen with polymorphisms of other metabolic genes such as GSTM1 , GSTT1 or SULT1A1 . We concluded that the metabolic pathways of oxidation, hydrolysis and acetylation are relevant to the formation of bulky DNA adducts. This could suggest a potential involvement of aromatic compounds in the formation of such adducts; however, given lack of specificity of the post-labeling assay, a firm conclusion cannot be drawn.