Oxidative DNA damage in humans: comparison between high and low habitual fruit and vegetable consumption

We investigated whether men with a habitual high consumption of vegetables and fruit have a lower excretion of 8 oxo 7,8 dihydro 2 deoxyguanosine 8 oxodG, a urinary marker for oxidative DNA damage, than men with a low consumption of vegetables and fruit. Ten pairs of healthy non smoking males aged between 28 and 59 years, matched for age 10 years and body mass index 2 kg m 2 were selected from a dietary validation study. Habitual food intake was estimated with 12 monthly 24 h recalls. Men in the high vegetable and fruit group consumed an average of 224 g day 1 range 101-330 g day 1 more vegetables and fruit than men in the low vegetable and fruit group. Excretion of 8 oxodG was 95 pmol kg 1 day 1 95 CI-29, 219 higher in the high vegetable and fruit group than in the low vegetable and fruit group paired t test, P = 0.11 . Excretion of 8 oxodG was not correlated with intake of vitamins, energy, fat, nor with blood concentrations of antioxidant pro vitamins, but it was inversely correlated with age. The present findings do not suggest that humans with a habitual high fruit and vegetables consumption have less oxidative DNA damage as measured by 8 oxodG excretion than men with low consumption of fruit and vegetables.