Differences in micronucleus frequency and acrylamide adduct levels with hemoglobin between vegetarians and non-vegetarians.
OBJECTIVE
Nutrients and food constituents can prevent or contribute to genotoxicity. In this study, the possible influence of a vegetarian/non-vegetarian diet on genotoxic effects was investigated in 58 non-smoking healthy vegetarians (V) and non-vegetarians (NV), age 21-37 years from the Stockholm area in Sweden.


METHODS
Physical activity and dietary habits were similar in both groups, with the exception of the intake of meat and fish. Using flow cytometry, we determined the formation of micronuclei (MN) in transferrin-positive immature peripheral blood reticulocytes (Trf-Ret) (Total: n = 53; V: n = 27; NV: n = 26). Dietary exposure to acrylamide was measured through hemoglobin (Hb) adducts in peripheral erythrocytes (Total: n = 53; V: n = 29; NV: n = 24). Hb adducts of both acrylamide and its genotoxic metabolite glycidamide were monitored as a measure of the corresponding in vivo doses.


RESULTS
Our data demonstrated that compared with the non-vegetarians, the vegetarians exhibited lower frequencies of MN (fMN) in the Trf-Ret (p < 0.01, Student's t test). A multivariate analysis demonstrated that there was no association between the fMN and factors such as age, sex, intake of vitamins/minerals, serum folic acid and vitamin B12 levels, physical activity, and body mass index. The mean Hb adduct levels of acrylamide and glycidamide showed no significant differences between vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Furthermore, there were no significant relationships between the adduct levels and fMN in the individuals. The ratio of the Hb adduct levels from glycidamide and acrylamide, however, showed a significant difference (p < 0.04) between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that the vegetarian diet might be beneficial in lowering genomic instability in healthy individuals. The measured Hb adduct levels indicate that the total intake of acrylamide does not differ between the two studied groups and does not contribute to the observed difference in fMN, although an influence of the diet on the metabolic rates of acrylamide was indicated. In addition, the observed significant difference in the background fMN in the two groups demonstrated that the MN analysis method has a sensitivity applicable to the biomonitoring of human lifestyle factors.
Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden. Natalia.Kotova@su.se.|Department of Science, The Swedish National Food Agency, Box 622, 751 26, Uppsala, Sweden. Natalia.Kotova@su.se.
Natalia
N
Kotova
Environmental Chemistry Unit, Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
Cecilia
C
Frostne
Department of Science, The Swedish National Food Agency, Box 622, 751 26, Uppsala, Sweden.
Lilianne
L
Abramsson-Zetterberg
Environmental Chemistry Unit, Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.|Division of Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry, Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Eden
E
Tareke
, Knivsbrunna, 755 98, Uppsala, Sweden.
Rolf
R
Bergman
Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
Siamak
S
Haghdoost
Environmental Chemistry Unit, Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
Birgit
B
Paulsson
Environmental Chemistry Unit, Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
Margareta
M
Törnqvist
Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, 141 83, Huddinge, Sweden.
Dan
D
Segerbäck
Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
Dag
D
Jenssen
The Rudbeck Laboratory, Cell Analysis Core Facility, Uppsala University, 751 85, Uppsala, Sweden.
Jan
J
Grawé
D020106:Acrylamide / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects; D014676:Diet, Vegetarian; D004852:Epoxy Compounds / Q000097:blood; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood; D042822:Genomic Instability; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D009043:Motor Activity; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013548:Sweden; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism; D000066988:Vegetarians; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
D004852:Epoxy Compounds; D006454:Hemoglobins; D014168:Transferrin; D020106:Acrylamide; C071834:glycidamide; D005492:Folic Acid; D014805:Vitamin B 12
Biomonitoring; Hemoglobin adducts; Micronuclei; Non-vegetarian; Vegetarian