Mutat Res. 1980 Aug; 72(3): 511-22.

Metabolic epidemiology of large bowel cancer. Fecal mutagens in high- and low-risk population for colon cancer. A preliminary report.

Reddy BS, Sharma C, Darby L, Laakso K, Wynder EL.

Because of potential significance of fecal mutagens in the pathogenesis of colon cancer, the dietary pattern and fecal mutagens of 3 populations with distinct risk for the development of colon cancer, a high-risk population in New York Metropolitan area (non-Seventh-Day Adventists), a low-risk population of vegetarian Seventh-Day Adventists in New York Metropolitan area and a low-risk population in rural Kuopio, Finland were studied. The average daily intake of protein was the same in the 3 groups, but the sources were different, a greater portion coming from meat in the New York non-Seventh-Day Adventists and from vegetables in Seventh-Day Adventists. The intake of fat was lower in Seventh-Day Adventists and higher in Kuopio and in New York non-Seventh-Day Adventists. The intake of dietary fiber was high in Kuopio compared to other groups. Fecal samples collected for 2 days were freeze-dried extracted with peroxide-free diethyl ether, partially purified on a silica-gel column and assayed for mutagenicity using the Salmonella/mammalian microsome mutagenicity test. The mutagenic activity was observed with Salmonella typhimurium tester strain TA98 without microsomal activation and with TA100 with and without microsomal activation in high-risk subjects from New York consuming a high-fat, high-meat diet. The incidence of fecal mutagen activity was higher in volunteers from New York consuming a high-fat, high-meat diet compared to low-risk rural Kuopio population. None of the vegetarian Seventh-Day Adventists showed any mutagenic activity.