Measurement of spices and seasonings in India: opportunities for cancer epidemiology and prevention.

TLDR

Foods added during cooking contain bioactive compounds with antioxidant, anti‑inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibacterial, and chemopreventive properties, yet epidemiologic studies rarely capture detailed data on these items such as spices, chilies, coconuts, garlic, onions, and oils. The study aimed to develop a computer‑based food preparer questionnaire to estimate per‑capita consumption of 19 spices, chilies, coconuts, garlic, onions, and 13 cooking oils among 3,625 participants, with the goal of improving epidemiologic assessment of these potentially chemopreventive foods to better understand diet‑cancer risk. The authors used a novel computer‑based food preparer questionnaire, applied to 3,625 participants across three Indian regions, to estimate per‑capita consumption of 19 spices, chilies, coconuts, garlic, onions, and 13 cooking oils. The questionnaire revealed substantial regional differences in spice and oil use, with Trivandrum participants consuming 12 spices versus only four or five in New Delhi and Mumbai, ghee dominating in New Delhi, coconut in Trivandrum, and peanut in Mumbai, and consumption also varied by education, income, and religion.

Abstract

Bioactive components of many foods added during cooking have potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibacterial and chemopreventive properties. However, epidemiologic studies generally do not collect detailed information on these items, which include spices, chilies, coconuts, garlic, onions, and oils. Since India has some of the highest spice consumption in the world, we developed a computer-based food preparer questionnaire to estimate per capita consumption of 19 spices, chilies, coconuts, garlic, onions, and 13 cooking oils among 3,625 participants in the India Health Study, a multicenter pilot study in three regions of India. We observed notable regional differences in consumption of spices, chilies, coconut, garlic, and onions. In Trivandrum, over 95 percent of the participants consumed 12 different spices, while in New Delhi and Mumbai, 95 percent of participants consumed only four and five spices, respectively. Cooking oil use also varied, as ghee was most common in New Delhi (96.8%) followed by mustard seed oil (78.0%), while in Trivandrum the primary oil was coconut (88.5%) and in Mumbai it was peanut (68.5%). There was some variation in consumption by education, income, and religion. Using a novel method for assessing food items primarly added during cooking, we successfully estimated per capita consumption within an epidemiologic study. Based on basic science research and suggestive ecologic level data on cancer incidence and spice consumption, improving epidemiologic assessment of these potentially chemopreventive food items may enhance our understanding of diet and cancer risk.