TY - JOUR
T1 - Meat consumption and meat cooking practices in essential tremor
T2 - A population-based study in the Faroe Islands
AU - Ferrer, Monica
AU - Eliasen, Eina H.
AU - Petersen, Maria Skaalum
AU - Jiang, Wendy
AU - Zheng, Wei
AU - Louis, Elan D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s).
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Background: Elevated tissue levels of the tremor-producing neurotoxin, harmane, have been detected in patients with essential tremor (ET) in the USA and Spain. Recently, a study in the Faroe Islands similarly noted an elevation in blood harmane concentrations in probable and definite ET cases. The underlying mechanism is not understood. Possible mechanisms include increased dietary consumption (esp. through cooked meats), impaired metabolism, or increased endogenous production of harmane. To investigate this issue further, we conducted a population-based study in the Faroe Islands to examine meat consumption and meat cooking practices in ET cases and controls. Methods: 1,328 Faroese adults were screened for tremor and 27 ET cases were identified. Meat consumption and meat cooking practices were compared to 200 controls. Detailed data were collected via questionnaires regarding current meat consumption for 14 meat types and meat cooking doneness for 8 meat types. Data were also available on blood harmane concentrations. Results: Current meat consumption was similar in ET cases and controls in 12 out of 14 meat types, with no differences observed after a Bonferroni correction in any meat type; no difference was observed when strat-ified by gender. No difference was observed in meat doneness between ET cases and controls. Blood harmane concentrations were not correlated with dietary data. Discussion: This is the first population-based study of harmane-linked dietary factors in ET. The study suggests the observed difference in blood harmane in ET is not driven by dietary differences and is likely due to other mechanisms (e.g., impaired metabolism).
AB - Background: Elevated tissue levels of the tremor-producing neurotoxin, harmane, have been detected in patients with essential tremor (ET) in the USA and Spain. Recently, a study in the Faroe Islands similarly noted an elevation in blood harmane concentrations in probable and definite ET cases. The underlying mechanism is not understood. Possible mechanisms include increased dietary consumption (esp. through cooked meats), impaired metabolism, or increased endogenous production of harmane. To investigate this issue further, we conducted a population-based study in the Faroe Islands to examine meat consumption and meat cooking practices in ET cases and controls. Methods: 1,328 Faroese adults were screened for tremor and 27 ET cases were identified. Meat consumption and meat cooking practices were compared to 200 controls. Detailed data were collected via questionnaires regarding current meat consumption for 14 meat types and meat cooking doneness for 8 meat types. Data were also available on blood harmane concentrations. Results: Current meat consumption was similar in ET cases and controls in 12 out of 14 meat types, with no differences observed after a Bonferroni correction in any meat type; no difference was observed when strat-ified by gender. No difference was observed in meat doneness between ET cases and controls. Blood harmane concentrations were not correlated with dietary data. Discussion: This is the first population-based study of harmane-linked dietary factors in ET. The study suggests the observed difference in blood harmane in ET is not driven by dietary differences and is likely due to other mechanisms (e.g., impaired metabolism).
KW - Diet
KW - Environmental epidemiology
KW - Essential tremor
KW - Harmane
KW - Neurotoxin
KW - Population-based design
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U2 - 10.5334/tohm.236
DO - 10.5334/tohm.236
M3 - Article
C2 - 32864189
AN - SCOPUS:85090106205
SN - 2160-8288
VL - 10
SP - 1
EP - 7
JO - Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements
JF - Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements
M1 - 30
ER -