Nature 294, 453 - 456 (03 December 1981); doi:10.1038/294453a0

Increase in faecal nitrosamines in Japanese individuals given a Western diet

Kunio Suzuki & Tomotari Mitsuoka

Animal Physiology Laboratory, The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, Wako-shi, Saitama 351, Japan

Colon cancer is prevalent in North America and Western Europe, but has a low incidence in Japan^1,2. Epidemiology suggests that a high intake of animal fat^3,4 and protein^5,6, especially beef^7,8, is associated with colon carcinogenesis. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed to account for the relationship between these diets^9–13, but experimental support for them is unconvincing. The specific carcinogen involved in cancer of the large bowel remains to be identified experimentally. Bruce and co-workers¹⁴ showed that several volatile nitrosamines were present in normal human faeces and suggested that these were produced endogenously in the lower intestine but they subsequently negated this hypothesis¹⁵. We demonstrate here that the levels of volatile nitrosamines in human faeces are markedly increased in Japanese individuals given a Western-style diet, but decreased by a typical Japanese diet.

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