Dietary Intake of Acrylamide and Risk of Breast, Endometrial, and Ovarian Cancers: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-analysis.

Giorgia Adani, Tommaso Filippini, Lauren A Wise, Thorhallur I Halldorsson, Ludek Blaha, Marco Vinceti

Journal: Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology 2021;29(6):1095-1106

PMID: 32169997

Plain Language Summary

plain language summary logo

Acrylamide is an organic industrial chemical that is white, odourless, and crystalline in structure. It is used primarily in paper and plastic production as a flocculating agent to purify drinking water and wastewater, and as a sealing agent in buildings. The study is a dose–response meta-analysis based on epidemiologic studies of acrylamide dietary intake and risks of female breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancer. Results show that acrylamide intake was associated with small increased risks of endometrial and ovarian cancer, with stronger and almost linear associations among never smokers. However, no positive relation emerged for breast cancer, except among premenopausal women for exposure above 20 mg/day. Authors conclude that their findings support the currently ongoing efforts to monitor and minimize acrylamide intake.

Abstract

Acrylamide is a probable human carcinogen. Aside from occupational exposures and smoking, diet is the main source of exposure in humans. We performed a systematic review of the association between estimated dietary intake of acrylamide and risk of female breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers in nonexperimental studies published through February 25, 2020, and conducted a dose-response meta-analysis. We identified 18 papers covering 10 different study populations: 16 cohort and two case-control studies. Acrylamide intake was associated with a slightly increased risk of ovarian cancer, particularly among never smokers. For endometrial cancer, risk was highest at intermediate levels of exposure, whereas the association was more linear and positive among never smokers. For breast cancer, we found evidence of a null or inverse relation between exposure and risk, particularly among never smokers and postmenopausal women. In a subgroup analysis limited to premenopausal women, breast cancer risk increased linearly with acrylamide intake starting at 20 μg/day of intake. High acrylamide intake was associated with increased risks of ovarian and endometrial cancers in a relatively linear manner, especially among never smokers. Conversely, little association was observed between acrylamide intake and breast cancer risk, with the exception of premenopausal women.

©2020 American Association for Cancer Research.

Address: Environmental, Genetic and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center (CREAGEN), Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.; Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.; Centre for Fetal Programming, Department of Epidemiology Research, Copenhagen, Denmark.; Unit for Nutrition Research, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland.; Masaryk University, Faculty of Science, RECETOX, Brno, Czech Republic.; Environmental, Genetic and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center (CREAGEN), Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy. [email protected].; Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.

Patient Centred Factor

Physical Environment

Clinical Imbalances

Modifiable Lifestyle Factors

Link outs

Subscription / membership required

Bant logo

© Copyright 2026, Nutrition Evidence

NED wishes to thank the following organisations for their support:

We use cookies to improve your experience and analyze site traffic with Google Analytics. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more.