CARCINOGENICITY TESTING OF COMPLETE HUMAN DIETS IN RATS

So far, in most animal experimental studies isolated food components h ave been tested. However,as components may interact with each other at different mechanistic levels, testing complex food mixtures more repr esentative for human consumption patterns may better predict the ultim ate carcinogenic risk. Studies were performed in Wistar rats using hum an and rat control diets to assess the effect of relevant food factors such as heat processing and the presence of non-nutrients in vegetabl es and fruit. The complete human diets, containing meat, bread and egg s, with or without vegetables and fruit, were composed according to me an consumption figures, balanced for macro- and micronutrients. Experi ments were performed with spontaneous as well as with chemical-induced tumor models. Heat processing had no effect on tumor induction, while vegetables and fruit only exerted a protective effect on chemically i nduced tumors in rats fed low-fat animal diets. Data suggest interacti on between major food factors in the human diet on colon carcinogenesi s. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.