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Acrylamide, a probable human carcinogen, is formed during the cooking of many commonly consumed foods. Data are scant on whether dietary acrylamide represents an important cancer risk in humans. We studied the association between acrylamide and prostate cancer risk using 2 measures of acrylamide exposure: intake from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and acrylamide adducts to hemoglobin. We also studied the correlation between these 2 exposure measures. We used data from the population-based case-control study Cancer of the Prostate in Sweden (CAPS). Dietary data was available for 1,499 cases and 1,118 controls. Hemoglobin adducts of acrylamide were measured in blood samples from a subset of 170 cases and 161 controls. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) for the risk of prostate cancer in high versus low quantiles of acrylamide exposure using logistic regression. The correlation between FFQ acrylamide intake and acrylamide adducts in non-smokers was 0.25 (95% confidence interval: 0.14-0.35), adjusted for age, region, energy intake, and laboratory batch. Among controls the correlation was 0.35 (95% CI: 0.21-0.48); among cases it was 0.15 (95% CI: 0.00-0.30). The OR of prostate cancer for the highest versus lowest quartile of acrylamide adducts was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.47-1.85, p-value for trend = 0.98). For FFQ acrylamide, the OR of prostate cancer for the highest versus lowest quintile was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.75-1.27, p trend = 0.67). No significant associations were found between acrylamide exposure and risk of prostate cancer by stage, grade, or PSA level. Acrylamide adducts to hemoglobin and FFQ-measured acrylamide intake were moderately correlated. Neither measure of acrylamide exposure-hemoglobin adducts or FFQ-was associated with risk of prostate cancer., ((c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

More than one-third of the calories consumed by U.S. and European populations contain acrylamide, a substance classified as a "probable human carcinogen" based on laboratory data. Thus, it is a public health concern to evaluate whether intake of acrylamide at levels found in the food supply is an important cancer risk factor. Mean dietary intake of acrylamide in adults averages 0.5 microg/kg of body weight per day, whereas intake is higher among children. Several epidemiological studies examining the relationship between dietary intake of acrylamide and cancers of the colon, rectum, kidney, bladder, and breast have been undertaken. These studies found no association between intake of specific foods containing acrylamide and risk of these cancers. Moreover, there was no relationship between estimated acrylamide intake in the diet and cancer risk. Results of this research are compared with other epidemiological studies, and the findings are examined in the context of data from animal models. The importance of epidemiological studies to establish the public health risk associated with acrylamide in food is discussed, as are the limitations and future directions of such studies.