title: Plasma alkylresorcinol concentrations, biomarkers of whole-grain wheat and rye intake, in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.
abstract: Whole-grain intake has been reported to be associated with a lower risk of several lifestyle-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, CVD and some types of cancers. As measurement errors in self-reported whole-grain intake assessments can be substantial, dietary biomarkers are relevant to be used as complementary tools for dietary intake assessment. Alkylresorcinols (AR) are phenolic lipids found almost exclusively in whole-grain wheat and rye products among the commonly consumed foods and are considered as valid biomarkers of the intake of these products. In the present study, we analysed the plasma concentrations of five AR homologues in 2845 participants from ten European countries from a nested case-control study in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. High concentrations of plasma total AR were found in participants from Scandinavia and Central Europe and lower concentrations in those from the Mediterranean countries. The geometric mean plasma total AR concentrations were between 35 and 41 nmol/l in samples drawn from fasting participants in the Central European and Scandinavian countries and below 23 nmol/l in those of participants from the Mediterranean countries. The whole-grain source (wheat or rye) could be determined using the ratio of two of the homologues. The main source was wheat in Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK, whereas rye was also consumed in considerable amounts in Germany, Denmark and Sweden. The present study demonstrates a considerable variation in the plasma concentrations of total AR and concentrations of AR homologues across ten European countries, reflecting both quantitative and qualitative differences in the intake of whole-grain wheat and rye.
authors: Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Strandboulevarden 49, Copenhagen Ø 2100, Denmark.
authors: Cecilie
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authors: Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Strandboulevarden 49, Copenhagen Ø 2100, Denmark.
authors: Anja
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authors: Olsen
authors: National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
authors: H B As
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authors: Bueno-de-Mesquita
authors: Department of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway.
authors: Guri
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authors: Skeie
authors: Section of Environmental Health, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Steffen
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authors: Loft
authors: Department of Food Science, BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors: Per
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authors: Åman
authors: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Max
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authors: Leenders
authors: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Vincent K
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authors: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Peter D
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authors: Molecular Epidemiology Group, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch, Berlin, Germany.
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authors: Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Strandboulevarden 49, Copenhagen Ø 2100, Denmark.
authors: Jane
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authors: Section for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors: Kim
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authors: INSERM, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health (CESP), Villejuif Cedex, France.
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authors: INSERM, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health (CESP), Villejuif Cedex, France.
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authors: INSERM, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health (CESP), Villejuif Cedex, France.
authors: Vanessa
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authors: Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany.
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authors: Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors: Jenny
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authors: Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany.
authors: Heiner
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authors: Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece.
authors: Antonia
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authors: Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece.
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authors: Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece.
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authors: MRC/HPA Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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authors: Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Federico II University, Naples, Italy.
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authors: Mattiello
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Petra H
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authors: Peeters
authors: Department of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway.
authors: Toril
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authors: Bakken
authors: Department of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway.
authors: Elisabete
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authors: Weiderpass
authors: Department of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway.
authors: Lene Angell
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authors: Sánchez
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authors: María-José
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authors: Pilar
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authors: Amiano
authors: CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
authors: José María
authors: JM
authors: Huerta
authors: CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
authors: Aurelio
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authors: Barricarte
authors: Department of Radiation Sciences, Oncology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors: Ingrid
authors: I
authors: Ljuslinder
authors: Department of Medical Biosciences, Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Palmqvist
authors: Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors: Kay-Tee
authors: KT
authors: Khaw
authors: Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors: Nick
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authors: Wareham
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authors: Timothy J
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authors: Cancer Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors: Ruth C
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authors: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Lyon, France.
authors: Nadia
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authors: Slimani
authors: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Lyon, France.
authors: Heinz
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authors: Freisling
authors: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Lyon, France.
authors: Pietro
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authors: Ferrari
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors: Marc J
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authors: Gunter
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors: Neil
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authors: Murphy
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors: Elio
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authors: Riboli
authors: Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Strandboulevarden 49, Copenhagen Ø 2100, Denmark.
authors: Anne
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authors: Tjønneland
authors: Department of Food Science, BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors: Rikard
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authors: Landberg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012118:Resorcinols / Q000097:blood*; D012434:Secale / Q000378:metabolism*; D014908:Triticum / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D012118:Resorcinols