title: Challenges in estimating the validity of dietary acrylamide measurements.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acrylamide is a chemical compound present in tobacco smoke and food, classified as a probable human carcinogen and a known human neurotoxin. Acrylamide is formed in foods, typically carbohydrate-rich and protein-poor plant foods, during high-temperature cooking or other thermal processing. The objectives of this study were to compare dietary estimates of acrylamide from questionnaires (DQ) and 24-h recalls (R) with levels of acrylamide adduct (AA) in haemoglobin.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, acrylamide exposure was assessed in 510 participants from 9 European countries, randomly selected and stratified by age, sex, with equal numbers of never and current smokers. After adjusting for country, alcohol intake, smoking status, number of cigarettes and energy intake, correlation coefficients between various acrylamide measurements were computed, both at the individual and at the aggregate (centre) level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Individual level correlation coefficient between DQ and R measurements (r DQ,R) was 0.17, while r DQ,AA and r R,AA were 0.08 and 0.06, respectively. In never smokers, r DQ,R, r DQ,AA and r R,AA were 0.19, 0.09 and 0.02, respectively. The correlation coefficients between means of DQ, R and AA measurements at the centre level were larger (r > 0.4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that estimates of total acrylamide intake based on self-reported diet correlate weakly with biomarker AA Hb levels. Possible explanations are the lack of AA levels to capture dietary acrylamide due to individual differences in the absorption and metabolism of acrylamide, and/or measurement errors in acrylamide from self-reported dietary assessments, thus limiting the possibility to validate acrylamide DQ measurements.
authors.affiliation: International Agency for Research on Cancer IARC-WHO, Lyon, France. FerrariP@iarc.fr
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Freisling
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Duell
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaaks
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lujan-Barroso
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Clavel-Chapelon
authors.forename: Marie-Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Boutron-Ruault
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nailler
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Polidoro
authors.forename: Amalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mattiello
authors.forename: Domenico
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authors.lastname: Palli
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tumino
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grioni
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Knüppel
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tjønneland
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authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Overvad
authors.forename: Philippos
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Orfanos
authors.forename: Michail
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authors.lastname: Katsoulis
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trichopoulou
authors.forename: Jose Ramón
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Quirós
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ardanaz
authors.forename: José María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Huerta
authors.forename: Pilar Amiano
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Etxezarreta
authors.forename: María José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Crowe
authors.forename: Kay-Tee
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Khaw
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Wareham
authors.forename: Marga
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ocke
authors.forename: Bas
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bueno-de-Mesquita
authors.forename: Petra H M
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Peeters
authors.forename: Ulrika
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ericson
authors.forename: Elisabet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wirfält
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hallmans
authors.forename: Ingegerd
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Dagrun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Engeset
authors.forename: Geneviève
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nicolas
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Norat
authors.forename: Elio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Riboli
authors.forename: Nadia
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mesh_terms: D020106:Acrylamide / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D004032:Diet; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006454:Hemoglobins; D020106:Acrylamide