title: Circulating levels of environmental contaminants are associated with dietary patterns in older adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Food intake contributes substantially to our exposure to environmental contaminants. Still, little is known about our dietary habits' contribution to exposure variability.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess circulating levels of environmental contaminants in relation to predefined dietary patterns in an elderly Swedish population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dietary data and serum concentrations of environmental contaminants were obtained from 844 70-year-old Swedish subjects (50% women) in the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study. Dietary data from 7-day food records was used to assess adherence to a Mediterranean-like diet, a low carbohydrate-high protein diet and the WHO dietary recommendations. Circulating levels of 6 polychlorinated biphenyl markers, 3 organochlorine pesticides, 1 dioxin and 1 polybrominated diphenyl ether, the metals cadmium, lead, mercury and aluminum and serum levels of bisphenol A and 4 phthalate metabolites were investigated in relation to dietary patterns in multivariate linear regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A Mediterranean-like diet was positively associated with levels of several polychlorinated biphenyls (118, 126, 153, and 209), trans-nonachlor and mercury. A low carbohydrate-high protein diet was positively associated with polychlorinated biphenyls 118 and 153, trans-nonachlor, hexachlorobenzene and p, p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, mercury and lead. The WHO recommended diet was negatively related to levels of dioxin and lead, and borderline positively to polychlorinated biphenyl 118 and trans-nonachlor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dietary patterns were associated in diverse manners with circulating levels of environmental contaminants in this elderly Swedish population. Following the WHO dietary recommendations seems to be associated with a lower burden of environmental contaminants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: erika.ax@pubcare.uu.se.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ax
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: erik.lampa@medsci.uu.se.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lampa
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: lars.lind@medsci.uu.se.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: samira.salihovic@medsci.uu.se.
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salihovic
authors.affiliation: MTM Research Centre, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden. Electronic address: Bert.VanBavel@oru.se.
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van Bavel
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: tommy.cederholm@pubcare.uu.se.
authors.forename: Tommy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cederholm
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: per.sjogren@pubcare.uu.se.
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sjögren
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: monica.lind@medsci.uu.se.
authors.forename: P Monica
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Lind
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination; D006801:Humans; D008628:Mercury / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D010575:Pesticides / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010575:Pesticides; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Dietary patterns; Dietary recommendations; Environmental contaminants; Low carbohydrate diet; Mediterranean diet