TY - JOUR
T1 - Dietary intake of selected B vitamins in relation to risk of major cancers in women
AU - Kabat, G. C.
AU - Miller, A. B.
AU - Jain, M.
AU - Rohan, T. E.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded in part by the National Cancer Institute of Canada. We thank Statistics Canada, the provincial and territorial Registrars of Vital Statistics, and the Cancer Registry directors for their assistance in making the cancer incidence and mortality data available.
PY - 2008/9/2
Y1 - 2008/9/2
N2 - Although folic acid has been investigated for its potential to inhibit carcinogenesis, few epidemiologic studies have assessed the effects of intake of thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin, which may reduce cancer risk by acting as cofactors in folate metabolism or by other mechanisms. Using data from a large cohort of Canadian women, we examined the association of dietary intake of these nutrients, as well as intake of folate, methionine, and alcohol, with cancers of the breast, endometrium, ovary, colorectum, and lung ascertained during an average of 16.4 years of follow-up. After exclusions, the following numbers of incident cases were available for analysis: breast, n=2491; endometrium, n=426; ovary, n=264; colorectum, n=617; and lung, n=358. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate risk of each cancer with individual nutrients and to explore possible effect modification by combinations of nutrients on cancer risk. Few significant associations of intake of individual B vitamins with the five cancers were observed. Alcohol consumption showed a modest positive association with breast cancer risk but not with risk of the other cancers. There was no evidence of effect modification among the nutrients. This large study provides little support for an association of dietary intake thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, or methionine with five major cancers in women.
AB - Although folic acid has been investigated for its potential to inhibit carcinogenesis, few epidemiologic studies have assessed the effects of intake of thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin, which may reduce cancer risk by acting as cofactors in folate metabolism or by other mechanisms. Using data from a large cohort of Canadian women, we examined the association of dietary intake of these nutrients, as well as intake of folate, methionine, and alcohol, with cancers of the breast, endometrium, ovary, colorectum, and lung ascertained during an average of 16.4 years of follow-up. After exclusions, the following numbers of incident cases were available for analysis: breast, n=2491; endometrium, n=426; ovary, n=264; colorectum, n=617; and lung, n=358. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate risk of each cancer with individual nutrients and to explore possible effect modification by combinations of nutrients on cancer risk. Few significant associations of intake of individual B vitamins with the five cancers were observed. Alcohol consumption showed a modest positive association with breast cancer risk but not with risk of the other cancers. There was no evidence of effect modification among the nutrients. This large study provides little support for an association of dietary intake thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, or methionine with five major cancers in women.
KW - Dietary folate
KW - Female neoplasms
KW - Methionine
KW - Niacin
KW - Riboflavin
KW - Thiamin
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U2 - 10.1038/sj.bjc.6604540
DO - 10.1038/sj.bjc.6604540
M3 - Article
C2 - 18665162
AN - SCOPUS:50249108914
SN - 0007-0920
VL - 99
SP - 816
EP - 821
JO - British Journal of Cancer
JF - British Journal of Cancer
IS - 5
ER -