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. 2014;66(5):774-90.
doi: 10.1080/01635581.2014.916323. Epub 2014 May 29.

Dietary acrylamide and human cancer: a systematic review of literature

Mandeep K Virk-Baker  1 , Tim R Nagy, Stephen Barnes, John Groopman
Affiliations

Dietary acrylamide and human cancer: a systematic review of literature

Mandeep K Virk-Baker et al. Nutr Cancer. 2014.

Abstract

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States, and the number of cases is expected to continue to rise worldwide. Cancer prevention strategies are crucial for reducing the cancer burden. The carcinogenic potential of dietary acrylamide exposure from cooked foods is unknown. Acrylamide is a by-product of the common Maillard reaction where reducing sugars (i.e., fructose and glucose) react with the amino acid, asparagine. Based on the evidence of acrylamide carcinogenicity in animals, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified acrylamide as a group 2A carcinogen for humans. Since the discovery of acrylamide in foods in 2002, a number of studies have explored its potential as a human carcinogen. This article outlines a systematic review of dietary acrylamide and human cancer, acrylamide exposure and internal dose, exposure assessment methods in the epidemiologic studies, existing data gaps, and future directions. A majority of the studies reported no statistically significant association between dietary acrylamide intake and various cancers, and few studies reported increased risk for renal, endometrial, and ovarian cancers; however, the exposure assessment has been inadequate leading to potential misclassification or underestimation of exposure. Future studies with improved dietary acrylamide exposure assessment are encouraged.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The metabolism of acrylamide
Figure 2
Figure 2
a Dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of upper gastrointestinal cancers from the epidemiological studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk. b Dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of lower gastrointestinal cancers from the epidemiological studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk.
Figure 2
Figure 2
a Dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of upper gastrointestinal cancers from the epidemiological studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk. b Dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of lower gastrointestinal cancers from the epidemiological studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk.
Figure 3
Figure 3
a Dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of renal cancers from the reviewed epidemiology studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk. b. Dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of brain, lung, head and neck cancers from the reviewed epidemiological studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk.
Figure 3
Figure 3
a Dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of renal cancers from the reviewed epidemiology studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk. b. Dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of brain, lung, head and neck cancers from the reviewed epidemiological studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk.
Figure 4
Figure 4
a Associations between dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of breast cancer the epidemiological studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk. b Associations between dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of prostate cancer from the epidemiological studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk. c Associations between dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer from the epidemiological studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk.
Figure 4
Figure 4
a Associations between dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of breast cancer the epidemiological studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk. b Associations between dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of prostate cancer from the epidemiological studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk. c Associations between dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer from the epidemiological studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk.
Figure 4
Figure 4
a Associations between dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of breast cancer the epidemiological studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk. b Associations between dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of prostate cancer from the epidemiological studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk. c Associations between dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer from the epidemiological studies. CI indicates confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Future study overview
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