UCLA

Introduction: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous contaminants released by the combustion of fossil fuels, vegetation, and tobacco. Few studies have evaluated the relationship between diet and urinary PAH biomarkers among pregnant women.Methods: We evaluated the associations between diet and PAH biomarkers in a prospective cohort study of pregnant women who gave birth at UCLA. Diet was evaluated with a past-month food frequency questionnaire and included information on portion sizes. Food category intake was calculated and used to produce three diet index scores: Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2015, Alternative Mediterranean Diet (aMED), and Alternate Healthy Eating Index for Pregnancy (AHEI-P). Urine samples were collected up to three times during pregnancy and analyzed for PAH biomarkers, including 2-hydroxyfluorene + 3-hydroxyfluorene (FLUO2FLUO3), 1-hydroxyphenanthrene (PHEN1), 2-hydroxyphenanthrene (PHEN2), 3-hydroxyphenanthrene (PHEN3), 4-hydroxyphenanthrene (PHEN4), 2-hydroxynaphthalene (NAP2), and 1-hydroxypyrene (PYR1). We employed multiple linear regression models to evaluate associations between diet and measured urinary PAHs and PAH summary measures. Results: Higher compliance with healthier dietary patterns (HEI-2015, aMED, AHEI-P) was found to be associated with lower urinary PAHs. Furthermore, higher (≥median) total meat consumption was associated with an average increase and higher vegetable intake with an average decrease in several urinary PAH biomarkers (FLUO2FLUO3, NAP2, PHEN1, PHEN4, PYR1, sum of all phenanthrene biomarkers (∑PHEN), and sum of all PAH biomarkers (∑PAHs)). Conclusion: Higher compliance with healthier dietary patterns lower PAH exposure, with higher meat consumption likely contributing to PAH exposures and higher vegetable consumption lowering PAH exposure.