Diet contains carcinogens and deficiency of vitamin C determines the level of oxidative DNA damage among Jakarta toll collectors

Abstract

Consuming meat food products that undergo high-temperature combustion is able to provide opportunities exposed to carcinogenic substances and leads to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is also a precondition for the occurrence of DNA damage and cancer can be detected by the presence of 8hydroxy-'2-deoxyguanosine (8OHdG). The study aimed to investigate whether the high prevalence of oxidative stress in Jakarta highway toll collector is independently or causally implicated in deficiency of vitamin C and the grilled food as the third factor modified the association. A cross-sectional study and urinary 8-OHdG was detected using the Enzyme-Link Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method on 161 toll gate collectors. The study found a strong relationship between grilled food and 8-OHdG (p-value 0.037); prevalence risk ratio (PRR) 2.01 (95% CI 1.044-3.890). However, relationship between variable vitamin C and the 8-OHdG stratified by grilled food founded inverse negatively, it was due to the high frequency of subjects 8-OHdG presented significantly with the deficiency of vitamin C. There was not enough intake of vitamin C among people who ate grilled food. Mantel-Haenzel formula was calculated and the estimation found the condition of independence from the test were X 2 MH =0.843 among the group who consumed the grilled food. The association between intake of grilled food and oxidative stress is the mere result of the effect of deficiency of vitamin C. Special attention should be given to minimize diet containing various carcinogens like the meat grilling process with a high temperature to decrease degenerative diseases and cancer risk in sub-population with high expose to air pollution.