Dietary acrylamide exposure was associated with increased cancer mortality in Chinese elderly men and women: a 11-year prospective study of Mr. and Ms. OS Hong Kong.

AIM

Our study aims to investigate the association between dietary acrylamide exposure and cancer mortality among Chinese elderly.

METHODS

A prospective cohort of 4000 elderly men and women aged 65 years and above (Mr. and Ms. OS Hong Kong study) was recruited from local communities from 2001 to 2003. Dietary exposure to acrylamide was evaluated at baseline based on a validated food frequency questionnaire and an acrylamide database from the 1st Hong Kong Total Diet Study. Data on mortality statistics through March 2014 were obtained from the Death Registry of the Department of Health of Hong Kong with a median follow-up of 11.1 years. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the association between the acrylamide exposure and cancer mortality. Sex hormones were assessed in men.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 11.1 years (39,271 person-years), we ascertained 330 cancer deaths. Vegetables (43.7%) and cereals (28.9%) products were the major contributors to dietary acrylamide. Compared with the lowest quartile of acrylamide intake (<9.9 µg/day), the multivariable hazard ratios for the highest quartile (>17.1 µg/day) were 1.9 (95% CI 1.3-2.8; P  < 0.01), 1.9 (95% CI 1.0-3.6; P  = 0.05), and 2.0 (95% CI 1.0-4.0; P  = 0.06) for the cancer mortality from overall, digestive and respiratory system, respectively. The associations were attenuated to null after further adjustment for circulating free estradiol in men. No statistically significant interactions were observed between acrylamide exposure and sex, obesity and overall lifestyle pattern scores.

CONCLUSIONS

The longitudinal data provided evidence that dietary acrylamide, in amounts that Chinese elderly are typically exposed to, was associated with increased cancer mortality. Circulating free estradiol may mediate the association in men.