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.