Effects of diet composition on mutagenic activity in urine

Issue title: The Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Food Factors (ICoFF 03)

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Ohara, Akihiro | Matsuhisa, Tsugio

Affiliations: Faculty of Agriculture, Meijo University, Nagoya, 468-8502, Japan. Tel.: +81 52 838 2440; Fax: +81 52 835 7450; E-mail: oharaaki@ccmfs.meijo-u.ac.jp

Note: [] Corresponding author

Abstract: The effects of dietary habits on mutagenic activity in urine were investigated using the umu test based on the use of the genetically engineered bacteria Salmonella typhimurium TA 1535 pSK1002. Genotoxic effects in sample urine were detected by measuring the activation of the SOS response in the bacteria and recording the β- galactosidase activity. Human subjects consisted of smokers and non-smokers. Urine from subjects who consumed fish showed the highest mutagenic activity, followed by the urine samples from subjects who ate pork or beef. Chicken induced a low level of mutagenic activity. When the subjects ate fried or roasted animal foods, the urine samples gave higher mutagenicity than the urine samples from the subject who consumed non-fried or non-roasted animal foods. When the subject ate vegetables along with a diet rich in animal foods, the activity in urine decreased. Herbs and spices gave the same tendency toward decline as vegetables. Non-smoker urine shower mutagenic activity than samples from smokers.

Keywords: urine, mutagenecity, diet, umu test, heterocyclic amines

Journal: BioFactors, vol. 22, no. 1-4, pp. 115-118, 2004