Effects of dietary fat and a vegetable-fruit mixture on the development of intestinal neoplasia in the ApcMin mouse.
The variation in colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence worldwide strongly suggests a role for dietary influences. Based on epidemiological data, protective effects of vegetables and fruit intake on CRC are widely claimed, while other data indicate a possible increased CRC risk from (higher) dietary fat intake. Therefore, we have investigated single and interactive effects of dietary fat and a vegetable-fruit mixture (VFM) in the ApcMin mouse, a mouse model for multiple intestinal neoplasia. In this study, four different diets (A-D) were compared, which were either low in fat (20% energy diets A/B) or high in fat (40% energy diets C/D). In addition, 19.5% (wt/wt) of the carbohydrates in diets B and D were replaced by a freeze-dried VFM. The diets were balanced so that they only differed among each other in fat/carbohydrate content and the presence of specific plant-constituents. Because the initiation of intestinal tumors in ApcMin mice occurs relatively early in life, exposure to the diets was started in utero. Without the addition of VFM, mice maintained at a high-fat diet did not develop significantly higher numbers of small or large intestinal adenomas than mice maintained at a low-fat diet. VFM added to a low-fat diet significantly lowered multiplicity of small intestinal polyps (from 16.2 to 10.2/mouse, 15 animals/group), but not of colon tumors in male ApcMin mice only. Strikingly, addition of VFM to female mice maintained on a low-fat diet and to both sexes maintained on a high-fat diet significantly enhanced intestinal polyp multiplicity (from 16.5 to 26.7 polyps/mouse). In conclusion, our results indicate that neither a lower fat intake nor consumption of VFM included in a high-fat diet decreases the development of polyps in mice genetically predisposed to intestinal tumor development.
Laboratory of Health Effects Research, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands. henk.van.kranen@rivm.nl
H J
HJ
van Kranen
P W
PW
van Iersel
J M
JM
Rijnkels
D B
DB
Beems
G M
GM
Alink
C F
CF
van Kreijl
D000236:Adenoma / Q000517:prevention & control; D000818:Animals; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007417:Intestinal Polyps / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D014675:Vegetables
D004041:Dietary Fats