Dietary Acrylamide Intake and Brain Cancer Risk
- Janneke G.F. Hogervorst1,
- Leo J. Schouten1,
- Erik J.M. Konings2,
- R. Alexandra Goldbohm3 and
- Piet A. van den Brandt1
- 1Department of Epidemiology, GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; 2Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, Department of Research and Development, Eindhoven, the Netherlands; and 3Department of Prevention and Health, TNO Quality of Life, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Requests for reprints:
Janneke Hogervorst, Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, the Netherlands. Phone: 31-433-882-391; Fax: 31-433-884-128. E-mail: jgf.hogervorst{at}epid.unimaas.nl
Abstract
Background: Acrylamide is a probable human carcinogen, which is present in several heat-treated foods. In epidemiologic studies, positive associations with endometrial, ovarian, and renal cell cancer risk have been observed. The incidence of central nervous system tumors was increased upon acrylamide administration in drinking water to rats. In the current study, the association between dietary acrylamide intake and human brain cancer risk was investigated for the first time.
Methods: In 1986, 120,852 persons (ages 55-69 years) were included in the Netherlands Cohort Study on diet and cancer. At baseline, a random subcohort of 5,000 participants was randomly selected from the total cohort for a case-cohort approach. Acrylamide intake was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire at baseline and based on acrylamide analyses in relevant Dutch foods. Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated using Cox proportional hazards analysis. Subgroup analyses were done for microscopically verified brain cancer, astrocytic gliomas, high-grade astrocytic gliomas, and never-smokers. The acrylamide risk estimates were adjusted for possible brain cancer risk factors.
Results: After 16.3 years of follow-up, 216 brain cancer cases were available for analysis. The multivariable-adjusted HR per 10 μg/d increment of acrylamide intake was 1.02 (95% confidence interval, 0.89-1.16). HRs were not significantly increased either when dietary acrylamide intake was analyzed as a categorical variable. Also, there was no association in the subgroups based on histology and smoking.
Conclusion: In this prospective cohort study, acrylamide intake was not associated with brain cancer risk. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(5):1663–6)
Footnotes
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- Accepted February 26, 2009.
- Received November 28, 2008.
- Revision received February 6, 2009.
