Rietjens I M, Alink G M
Wageningen Universiteit, afd. Toxicologie, Tuinlaan 5, 6703 HE Wageningen.
Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2003 Nov 29;147(48):2365-70.
With respect to food, the most important factors causing adverse health effects are: an unbalanced diet, resulting in obesity or vitamin deficiencies, overconsumption of alcohol or fat, the presence of microbial contamination and the presence of natural toxins. Two additional factors, the presence of environmental contaminants and products formed on heating food, may also be of importance. It is generally assumed that, when combined, food-related factors contribute to around 35% of overall cancer incidence. The most important groups of health-threatening compounds to be found in the food chain include natural toxins, such as those produced by plants (phytotoxins), fungi (mycotoxins), marine algae (phycotoxins) and by bacteria, and toxins present in animals for human consumption, especially fish. A second important group of toxic compounds in food consists of environmental contaminants, including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, all of which may unintentionally end up in the food chain. A third group of toxins present in food are those substances produced when food is heated, and include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic amines and acrylamide.
就食物而言，导致健康不良影响的最重要因素包括：饮食不均衡，导致肥胖或维生素缺乏；过度饮酒或摄入过多脂肪；存在微生物污染以及天然毒素。另外两个因素，即环境污染物的存在和食物加热过程中形成的产物，也可能很重要。一般认为，与食物相关的因素综合起来约占总体癌症发病率的35%。在食物链中发现的对健康构成威胁的最重要化合物类别包括天然毒素，例如植物产生的毒素（植物毒素）、真菌产生的毒素（霉菌毒素）、海藻产生的毒素（藻毒素）以及细菌产生的毒素，还有供人类食用的动物体内存在的毒素，尤其是鱼类。食物中另一类重要的有毒化合物是环境污染物，包括重金属和持久性有机污染物，如二恶英和多氯联苯，所有这些都可能意外进入食物链。食物中存在的第三类毒素是食物加热时产生的物质，包括多环芳烃、杂环胺和丙烯酰胺。
