Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-05T01:06:01.816Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Intake and food sources of nitrites and N-nitrosodimethylamine in Spain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Paula Jakszyn*
Affiliation:
Institut Català d'Oncologia (ICO-IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
Antonio Agudo
Affiliation:
Institut Català d'Oncologia (ICO-IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
Antonio Berenguer
Affiliation:
Institut Català d'Oncologia (ICO-IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
Raquel Ibáñez
Affiliation:
Institut Català d'Oncologia (ICO-IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
Pilar Amiano
Affiliation:
Dirección de Salud de Guipúzcoa, 20013 San Sebastián, Spain
Guillem Pera
Affiliation:
Institut Català d'Oncologia (ICO-IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
Eva Ardanaz
Affiliation:
Departamento de Salud de Navarra, 31003 Pamplona, Spain
Aurelio Barricarte
Affiliation:
Departamento de Salud de Navarra, 31003 Pamplona, Spain
María Dolores Chirlaque
Affiliation:
Consejería de Sanidad y Consumo, 3008 Murcia, Spain
Miren Dorronsoro
Affiliation:
Dirección de Salud de Guipúzcoa, 20013 San Sebastián, Spain
Nerea Larrañaga
Affiliation:
Dirección de Salud de Guipúzcoa, 20013 San Sebastián, Spain
Carmen Martinez
Affiliation:
Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, 18080 Granada, Spain
Carmen Navarro
Affiliation:
Consejería de Sanidad y Consumo, 3008 Murcia, Spain
José R Quirós
Affiliation:
Consejería de Sanidad y Servicios Sociales de Asturias, 33001 Oviedo, Spain
María José Sanchéz
Affiliation:
Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, 18080 Granada, Spain
María José Tormo
Affiliation:
Consejería de Sanidad y Consumo, 3008 Murcia, Spain
Carlos A González
Affiliation:
Institut Català d'Oncologia (ICO-IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
*
*Corresponding author: Email paujak@iconcologia.catsalut.net
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Objective

To conduct a comprehensive assessment of dietary intakes of nitrites and N-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−1 for nitrites and 0.114 μg day−1 for 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.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2006

References

1Mirvish, SS. Role of N-nitroso compounds (NOC) and N -nitrosation in etiology of gastric, esophageal, nasopharyngeal and bladder cancer and contribution to cancer of known exposures to NOC. Cancer Letters 1995; 93(1): 1748.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2US Assembly of Sciences, National Research Council. The Health Effects of Nitrate, Nitrite and Nitrosocompounds. Part I of a Two-part Study by the Committee on Nitrate and Alternative Curing Agents in Foods. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1981.Google Scholar
3Tricker, AR, Preussmann, R. Carcinogenic N-nitrosamines in the diet: occurrence, formation, mechanisms and carcinogenic potential. Mutation Research 1991; 259(3–4): 277–89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4Tricker, AR. N-Nitroso compounds and man: sources of exposure, endogenous formation and occurrence in body fluids. European Journal of Cancer Prevention 1997; 6(3): 226–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5Mirvish, SS. Blocking the formation of N-nitroso compounds with ascorbic acid in vitro and in vivo. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1975; 258: 175–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Bogovski, P, Bogovski, S. Animal species in which N-nitroso compounds induce cancer. International Journal of Cancer 1981; 27(4): 471–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)/American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective. Washington, DC: WCRF/AICR, 1997.Google Scholar
8Eichholzer, M, Gutzwiller, F. Dietary nitrates, nitrites, and N-nitroso compounds and cancer risk: a review of the epidemiologic evidence. Nutrition Reviews 1998; 56(4 Pt 1): 95105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risk to Humans. IARC Monographs Supplement 7. Lyon: IARC, 1987: 4074.Google Scholar
10Gangolli, SD, van den Brandt, PA, Feron, VJ, Janzowsky, C, Koeman, JH, Speijers, GJ, et al. Nitrate, nitrite and N-nitroso compounds. European Journal of Pharmacology 1994; 292(1): 138.Google ScholarPubMed
11Jakszyn, P, Agudo, A, Ibanez, R, Garcia-Closas, R, Pera, G, Amiano, P, et al. Development of a food database of nitrosamines, heterocyclic amines, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Journal of Nutrition 2004; 134(8): 2011–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12EPIC Group of Spain. Relative validity and reproducibility of a diet history questionnaire in Spain. II. Nutrients. International Journal of Epidemiology 1997; 26(Suppl. 1) S100–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13Slimani, N, Farran, A, Torrent, M, Farriol, N, Moreuo, I, Hemon, B, et al. European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Food Composition Tables – Spain, 2nd ed. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer, 1996.Google Scholar
14Pera, G, González, CA y grupo EPIC-España. Consumo de suplementos vitamínicos y minerales en población adulta sana de cinco provincias de España. Gaceta Sanitaria 1999; 13(4): 326–7.Google Scholar
15Armitage, P, Berry, G, Matthews, J. Statistical Methods in Medical Research. London: Blackwell Science, 2002.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE). Cifras oficiales de Publación. Padron Municipal [online], 2003. Available at http://www.ine.es/inebase/index.html.Google Scholar
17R Development Core Team. R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. Vienna: R Foundation for Statistical Computing, 2004. Also available at http://www. R-project.org.Google Scholar
18Dich, J, Jarvinen, R, Knekt, P, Penttila, PL. Dietary intakes of nitrate, nitrite and NDMA in the Finnish Mobile Clinic Health Examination Survey. Food Additives and Contaminants 1996; 13(5): 541–52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19Spiegelhalder, B, Eisenbrand, G, Preussmann, R. Volatile nitrosamines in food. Oncology 1980; 37(4): 211–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20Wilkens, LR, Kadir, MM, Kolonel, LN, Nomura, AM, Hankin, JH. Risk factors for lower urinary tract cancer: the role of total fluid consumption, nitrites and nitrosamines, and selected foods. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention 1996; 5(3): 161–6.Google ScholarPubMed
21Agudo, A, Pera, G. Vegetable and fruit consumption associated with anthropometric, dietary and lifestyle factors in Spain. EPIC Group of Spain. European Prospective Investigation into Cancer. Public Health Nutrition 1999; 2(3): 263–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22Martinez-Gonzalez, MA, Perez-Gutierrez, R, Martinez-Gonzalez, J, Garcia-Martin, M, Bueno-Cavanillas, A. Dietary intake of some food items in smokers and non-smokers in a Mediterranean population. European Journal of Public Health 1997; 7: 40–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23Dallongeville, J, Marecaux, N, Fruchart, JC, Amouyel, P. Cigarette smoking is associated with unhealthy patterns of nutrient intake: a meta-analysis. Journal of Nutrition 1998; 128(9): 1450–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24Preston, AM. Cigarette smoking – nutritional implications. Progress in Food & Nutrition Science 1991; 15(4): 183217.Google ScholarPubMed
25Pobel, D, Riboli, E, Cornee, J, Hemon, B, Guyader, M. Nitrosamine, nitrate and nitrite in relation to gastric cancer: a case–control study in Marseille, France. European Journal of Epidemiology 1995; 11(1): 6773.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26Yamamoto, M, Iwata, R, Ishiwata, H, Yamada, T, Tanimura, A. Determination of volatile nitrosamine levels in foods and estimation of their daily intake in Japan. Food and Chemical Toxicology 1984; 22(1): 61–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
27Tricker, AR, Pfundstein, B, Theobald, E, Preussmann, R, Spiegelhalder, B. Mean daily intake of volatile N -nitrosamines from foods and beverages in West Germany in 1989–1990. Food and Chemical Toxicology 1991; 29(11): 729–32.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28La Vecchia, C, D'Avanzo, B, Airoldi, L, Braga, C, Decarli, A. Nitrosamine intake and gastric cancer risk. European Journal of Cancer Prevention 1995; 4(6): 469–74.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
29De Stefani, E, Boffetta, P, Mendilaharsu, M, Carzoglio, J, Deneo-Pellegrini, H. Dietary nitrosamines, heterocyclic amines, and risk of gastric cancer: a case–control study in Uruguay. Nutrition and Cancer 1998; 30(2): 158–62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30Gonzalez, CA, Riboli, E, Badosa, J, Batiste, E, Cardona, T, Pita, S, et al. Nutritional factors and gastric cancer in Spain. American Journal of Epidemiology 1994; 139(5): 466–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
31Rogers, MA, Vaughan, TL, Davis, S, Thomas, DB. Consumption of nitrate, nitrite, and nitrosodimethylamine and the risk of upper aerodigestive tract cancer. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention 1995; 4(1): 2936.Google ScholarPubMed
32Ellen, G, Egmond, E, Van Loon, JW, Sahertian, ET, Tolsma, K. Dietary intakes of some essential and non-essential trace elements, nitrate, nitrite and N-nitrosamines, by Dutch adults: estimated via a 24-hour duplicate portion study. Food Additives and Contaminants 1990; 7(2): 207–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
33Cornee, J, Lairon, D, Velema, J, Guyader, M, Berthezene, P. An estimate of nitrate, nitrite and N-nitrosodimethlyamine concentrations in French food products or food groups. Sciences des Aliments 1992; 12: 155–97.Google Scholar
34Maki, T, Tamura, Y, Shimamura, Y, Naoi, Y. Estimate of the volatile nitrosamine content of Japanese food. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 1980; 25(2): 257–61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
35Stryker, WS, Salvini, S, Stampfer, MJ, Sampson, L, Colditz, GA, Willett, WC. Contributions of specific foods to absolute intake and between-person variation of nutrient consumption. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 1991; 91(2): 172–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
36Byers, T, Marshall, J, Fiedler, R, Zielezny, M, Graham, S. Assessing nutrient intake with an abbreviated dietary interview. American Journal of Epidemiology 1985; 122(1): 4150.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
37Knight, TM, Forman, D, Al-Dabbagh, SA, Doll, R. Estimation of dietary intake of nitrates and nitrites in Great Britain. Food and Chemical Toxicology 1987; 25(4): 277–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
38Aranceta, J, Perez, C, Eguileor, I, Gonzaloz de Goldeano, L, Mataix, J, Saez de Buruaga, J. Nutritional Survey, 1990. Technical Documents of Public Series A, No. 9. Vitoria: Government of the Basque Country, 1990.Google Scholar
39Mataix Verú, J, Llopis González, J, Martinez de Victoria, E, Montellano Delgado, MA, Lopez Frías, M, Aranda Ramirez, P. Evaluation of the Nutritional Status in the Autonomous Community of Andalucía. Granada: Public Health Service & Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology of the University of Granada, 1999.Google Scholar
40Agudo, A, Pera, G, Rodriguez, M, Quiros, JR, Navarro, C, Martinez, C, et al. Changes in smoking habits in adults: results from a prospective study in Spain. Annals of Epidemiology 2004; 14(4): 235–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed