Selected micronutrient intake and the risk of colorectal cancer

Abstract

SummaryThe relationship between estimated intake of selected micronutrients and the risk of colorectal cancer was analysed using data from a case-control study conducted in northern Italy. The There are indications that several micronutrients may influence the process of colorectal carcinogenesis. These include a potential protective effect of folate (Benito et al., 1991;Freudenheim et al., 1991), a co-factor in the methylation of thymidylate for DNA synthesis and the production of S-adenosylmethionine, the primary methyl donor in the body (Cooper, 1983); of calcium, which may react with fatty acids to form insoluble soaps (Newmark et al., 1984;Garland et al., 1985;Sorenson et al., 1988); and of ascorbic acid, Pcarotene and vitamin E, which may act as antioxidants (Iscovich et al., 1992;Longnecker et al., 1992). Two companion cohort studies (Giovannucci et al., 1993), including 564 women and 331 men with colorectal adenoma, have also suggested that folate may have a specific favourable effect on preneoplastic large bowel lesions. No convincing association for any micronutrients, however, has emerged from other studies (Peters et al., 1992), and the issue is therefore still unsettled, particularly since most studies did not make adequate allowance for various micronutrients.To provide further data on the issue, we have considered the role of selected micronutrients on colorectal carcinogenesis using data from a case-control study conducted in the greater Milan area, previously considered with reference to intake of specific foods (La Vecchia et al., 1988 The control group included patients admitted for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic, non-digestive tract conditions to the same network of hospitals where cases had been identified. Of these, 47% were admitted for traumatic conditions, 20% had non-traumatic orthopaedic diseases, 19% had acute surgical conditions, and 14% had other miscellaneous disorders. A total of 2,024 controls were included in the present analysis. The age range was 19-74 years, and the median age was 55 years. The catchment areas of cases and controls were comparable: over 80% of cases and controls resided in Lombardy, and over 90% came from northern Italy. Less than 3% of eligible subjects (cases and controls) refused to be interviewed.Trained interviewers used a structured questionnaire to obtain information on general sociodemographic factors and lifestyle habits, weight and height, a problem-oriented medical history and family history of colorectal cancer. Further, information on the frequency of consumption per week of 29 indicator foods was collected. These included major sources of P-carotene, retinol, ascorbic acid, vitamins D and E, folate, methionine and calcium in the Italian diet. We computed nutrient intake by multiplying the consumption frequency of each unit of food by the nutrient content of the standard average portions, using composition values from the Italian composition tables (Fidanza & Verdiglioni, 1988), with the integration of other sources when these were no...

Dietary and serum α-tocopherol, β-carotene and retinol, and risk for colorectal cancer in male smokers

“…In two large female cohorts including both smokers and non-smokers, the Iowa Women's Health Study and the Nurses' Health Study, no significant association was observed between dietary intake of vitamin E and colorectal cancer risk (Willett et al, 1990;Bostick et al, 1993;Sellers et al, 1998). Case -control studies have yielded conflicting results: either inverse associations (Ferraroni et al, 1994;Ghadirian et al, 1997;La Vecchia et al, 1997) or no association has been observed (Freudenheim et al, 1990;Benito et al, 1991;Peters et al, 1992;Meyer & White, 1993;Olsen et al, 1994;Slattery et al, 1998). The intake level of dietary vitamin E in the present cohort was similar to that reported from other study populations (Peters et al, 1992;Slattery et al, 1998), and the intake level varied sufficiently: there was a 2.5-fold difference in median intake of vitamin E between the first and fourth quartile.…”

“…In about half of the case -control studies, dietary carotenes have been inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk (van Poppel, 1993;Ferraroni et al, 1994;La Vecchia et al, 1997). In such studies, however, carotene intake may have been altered, either due to changes in dietary habits or changes in metabolism caused by the disease.…”

Dietary intake of selected B vitamins in relation to risk of major cancers in women

“…Findings regarding the association of methionine with cancers of the breast, endometrium, and ovary have generally been null (Thorand et al, 1998;Shrubsole et al, 2001;Feigelson et al, 2003;Tworoger et al, 2006;Xu et al, 2007;Cho et al, 2007a), whereas for colorectal cancer, the findings have been mixed, with some suggesting an inverse association (Giovannucci et al, 1993(Giovannucci et al, , 1995(Giovannucci et al, , 1998 and others showing no association (Ferraroni et al, 1994;Slattery et al, 1997;Flood et al, 2002;Harnack et al, 2002). We are unaware of any previous studies that have examined the association of methionine intake and lung cancer risk.…”

“…One small case -control study of colorectal cancer (Jedrychowski et al, 2002) observed a significant inverse association with dietary thiamin intake but not with riboflavin intake. A second case -control study (Ferraroni et al, 1994) reported a significant inverse association of thiamin intake with colon cancer risk in both males and females, but found no association with niacin or folate intake. In a large case -control study from China (Xu et al, 2007), intake of riboflavin was not associated with endometrial cancer risk.…”

Serum folate, homocysteine and colorectal cancer risk in women: a nested case–control study

“…Prospective (Giovannucci et al, 1995;Glynn et al, 1996) and case-control studies of colorectal cancer (Freudenheim et al, 1991;Benito et al, 1991;Ferraroni et al, 1994) have also shown Serum folate, homocysteine and colorectal cancer risk in women: a nested caseÐcontrol study some inverse association with folate intake. In addition, red cell folate was inversely associated with the risk of developing colonic dysplasia or cancer among patients with ulcerative colitis (Lashner, 1993).…”