Applied nutritional investigationJoint association of fruit, vegetable, and heterocyclic amine intake with DNA damage levels in a general population

- Fruit intake was negatively associated with DNA damage.
- Heterocyclic amine intake was positively associated with DNA damage.
- Low fruit and high heterocyclic amine joint intake was associated with DNA damage.

ObjectiveTo assess joint effects of heterocyclic amine (HCA), fruit, and vegetable intake on DNA damage in a general population.MethodsA cross-sectional survey (ISA-Capital) was performed among adults and older adults in Brazil. We selected 73 participants with high HCA intake and 73 sex- and age-matched participants with non-HCA intake (n = 146) for the present study. Diet was assessed by a 24-h dietary recall and a structured questionnaire with cooking methods and levels of meat doneness. DNA damage was measured by 8-oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). The association between DNA damage and dietary intake was analyzed by linear regression models.ResultsFruit intake showed significantly inverse association with 8-OHdG (β, −0.787; P = 0.035), whereas HCA intake was significantly associated with increased DNA damage (β, 1.621; P = 0.036) after adjusting for covariates, including sex, age, body mass index, energy intake, smoking, physical activity, and C-reactive protein. Vegetable intake was not significantly associated with 8-OHdG. We also found a significant association between joint fruit and HCA intake and DNA damage, and the difference in 8-OHdG levels was significantly higher between participants with the lowest fruit intake and highest HCA intake and those with the highest fruit intake and non-HCA intake (P = 0.049).ConclusionsLower intake of fruits and higher intake of HCAs were associated with higher DNA damage levels and showed an additive effect pattern.