Gender Differences in Dietary Behavior and Urinary Gallic Acid Concentrations in Racial Minorities in New York City
Authors: Cristina N. Zambrano,1,2 Wenyue Lu,3,4 Cicely Johnson,2 Maayan Beeber,5 April Panitz,5 Safa Ibrahim,1,2 Marilyn Fraser,6 Grace X. Ma,3,7 Khursheed Navder,2,5 Ming-Chin Yeh,2,5 Olorunseun O. Ogunwobi1,2
Affiliations:
1Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of The City University of New York, New York
2Hunter College Center for Cancer Health Disparities Research, Hunter College of The City University of New York, New York
3Center for Asian Health, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4Sociology Department, College of Liberal Arts, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
5Nutrition Program, School of Urban Public Health, Hunter College of The City University of New York, New York
6Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, Brooklyn, New York
7Department of Clinical Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nutrition is important for cancer prevention. To investigate associations between dietary differences based on demographics and risk of cancer, we assessed dietary behavior and the urinary concentrations of gallic acid, an antioxidant found in various fruits and vegetables, in racial minorities in New York City (NYC). Ninety-one (91) participants were recruited from a senior center in East Harlem, NYC, a racially diverse and underserved community. A National Institute of Health (NIH) – validated diet survey questionnaire was used to collect dietary behavior data. Demographic and cancer information were also collected. All 91 participants completed the survey and forty-five (45) participants provided urine samples for gallic acid analysis. Associations between demographic factors and the intake of certain foods were assessed. Gender differences were significantly associated with dietary behavior and urinary gallic acid concentrations (UGAC). Female participants had a higher daily intake of fruits compared to male participants (p<0.05). Additionally, female participants had significantly higher UGAC compared to male participants (p<0.05). Other associations were also observed. Age was negatively associated with the quantity of french fries/fried potatoes and white potatoes intake (p<0.05), while positively associated with frequency of fruit intake (p<0.05). Furthermore, Asian race was associated with a higher frequency of fruit intake (p<0.05), compared to other races. Among all recruited participants, we collected information on three cancer cases. Compared to non-cancer cases, participants with cancer reported a significantly lower fruit intake quantity (p<0.05). In a multivariate analysis, we observed a significant association between fruit intake quantity and UGAC (p<0.05) after controlling for income. Our findings suggest that gender differences in dietary behavior and UGAC may explain some of the gender differences in cancer incidence and prevalence observed in racial minority groups.
Email questions and comments about this abstract to cristina.zambrano61@myhunter.cuny.edu.
