Improved Exposure Assessment for Heterocyclic Amine Intake

TS6-05 Abstract: Exposure assessment methods were developed to link responses to detailed questions about meat preparation and doneness preference to a database of heterocyclic amine (HCA) concentrations in cooked meats prepared in controlled cooking studies to estimate intake of total and individual HCAs. Similar methods applied in previous case–control studies using less detailed data on meat intake and cooking methods have shown how such information on cooking techniques and dietary preferences can improve assessment of associations between HCA intakes and several types of cancer. A previous assessment of U.S. national dietary intakes showed that black men consume twice the level of HCAs previously estimated for white men in the United States due to use of more frequent cooking by methods that form HCAs and to greater consumption of meats with high HCA levels (primarily grilled chicken). Using the more detailed survey approach, results from a prospective, clinic-based study indicate that the black men in Oakland, California, show HCA intakes consistent with the national pattern. Preliminary results from this study also indicate a significant positive association between estimated HCA intake among the black men studied and highly elevated prostate serum antigen (PSA) levels (PSA ≥20 ng/mL) associated with substantial likelihood of developing prostate cancer. Potential exposure misclassification may arise using these new survey methods due to cultural differences in cooking practices and subjective terminology used to describe cooked foods. Data from this study and a study of HCAs in home-cooked meat samples will be presented to demonstrate improved methods for HCA exposure assessment.