Iron and Cancer Risk—A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Epidemiological Evidence

Fonseca-Nunes, Ana; Jakszyn, Paula; Agudo, Antonio

doi:10.1158/1055-9965.epi-13-0733

Cited by 280 publications

(220 citation statements)

References 110 publications

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“…First, we focused our analysis on serum iron, one of several biomarkers of iron status, which may or may not correlate with body iron stores (4,36). A recent meta-analysis of 59 epidemiologic studies concluded that biomarkers of iron stores tend to be negatively correlated with cancer risk (37). It should be noted that our study did not aim to assess the correlation of cancer risk with body iron stores, but with serum iron.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Serum Iron Is Associated with Increased Cancer Risk

et al. 2014

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Epidemiologic studies linking high serum iron with cancer risks are limited and inconclusive, despite evidence implicating body iron in human carcinogenesis. A cohort of 309,443 adults in Taiwan who had no history of cancer had serum iron levels tested at the time of recruitment (1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008). Initially measured iron levels were associated with subsequent cancer risk by linking individuals with the National Cancer Registry and National Death File. HRs were calculated by the Cox model. One third of males (35%) and one fifth of females (18%) had high serum iron (!120 mg/dL), which was associated with a 25% increase in risk for incidence of all cancers [HR, 1.25; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.16-1.35] and with a 39% increase in risk for mortality from all cancers (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.23-1.57). The relationship between serum iron and cancer risk was a J-shaped one, with higher cancer risk at both ends, either at lower than 60 mg/dL or higher than 120 mg/dL. At the higher end, cancer risk increased by 4% for every 10 mg/dL increment above 80 mg/dL, showing a dose-response relationship, with 60 to 79 mg/dL as a reference level. In a sensitivity analysis, the increases in risk were still observed after the first 5 years of cancer cases were excluded. Liver cancer risk was increased in HBV (À) non-hepatitis B carrier (3-fold) and HBV (þ) hepatitis B carrier (24-fold). Lifestyle risks such as smoking, drinking, or inactivity interacted synergistically with high serum iron and significantly increased the cancer risks. The liver (HR, 2.49; 95% CI, 1.97-3.16) and the breast (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.01-1.70) were the two major cancer sites where significant cancer risks were observed for serum iron either !120 mg/dL or !140 mg/dL, respectively. This study reveals that high serum iron is both a common disorder and a marker of increased risk for several cancers. Cancer Res; 74(22); 6589-97. Ó2014 AACR.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Serum Iron Is Associated with Increased Cancer Risk

et al. 2014

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“…Meat is a source of not only protein and various vitamins and minerals, but also SFA (26) which are well known to be a major risk factor for various chronic diseases (27,28) . Moreover, haem iron and non-haem iron, or some carcinogenic compounds such as heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in meat are suspected to increase cancer risk (29,30) . As in studies involving Western populations, consuming high amount of red meat was reported as a significant risk factor for cancer by a recent Korean cohort study (31) .…”

Section: Association Of Meat and Milk Consumption With Cancer And Metmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meat and milk intake in the rice-based Korean diet: impact on cancer and metabolic syndrome

Jun

Chung

et al. 2016

Proc. Nutr. Soc.

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Over a few decades, Korean diet has changed from traditional diet, mainly composed of rice and vegetables, to Westernised diet rich, in meat and milk, along with the economic development and globalisation. Increasing prevalence of diet-related chronic diseases such as cancer and metabolic syndrome (MetS) is becoming a heavy burden to society and requires further attention. In this review, the association of meat and milk consumption with cancer and MetS among Koreans was discussed. Previous meta-analyses showed that meat intake was positively associated with increased risk of cancers, especially colon, as well as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and that the intake of milk and dairy products was negatively associated with colorectal cancer, obesity, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, based on studies conducted mostly in Western countries. In Korea and other Asian countries, the association of meat and milk intake with cancers were inconclusive and varied by types of cancers. Conversely, milk intake was negatively associated with MetS risk as reported in Western countries. The difference in results between Korea and Western countries might come from the differences in dietary patterns and study designs. Most Koreans still maintain traditional dietary pattern, although rapid change towards Westernised diet is underway among the younger age group. Randomised clinical trials or prospective cohort studies with consideration of combined effects of various dietary factors in Korea and other Asian countries are needed to elucidate the impact of meat and milk or related dietary patterns in their diet.

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“…Laboratory evidence of elevated iron stores can be an important predictor of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancers [1][2][3]. Iron status is routinely evaluated by biochemical assays such as serum iron (SI), total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), and serum ferritin (SF).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Variables Related to Iron Status and Genetic Background Among Korean Populations: Ironing Out the Differences

Santos

2015

Dig Dis Sci

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Iron and Cancer Risk—A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Epidemiological Evidence

Cited by 280 publications

References 110 publications

High Serum Iron Is Associated with Increased Cancer Risk

High Serum Iron Is Associated with Increased Cancer Risk

Meat and milk intake in the rice-based Korean diet: impact on cancer and metabolic syndrome

Variables Related to Iron Status and Genetic Background Among Korean Populations: Ironing Out the Differences

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