Specific serum carotenoids are inversely associated with breast cancer risk among Chinese women: a case–control study

Abstract

Previous epidemiological studies have revealed the anti-cancer effect of dietary circulating carotenoids. However, the protective role of specific individual circulating carotenoids has not been elucidated. The purpose of this study was to examine whether serum carotenoids, including α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lutein/zeaxanthin, could lower the risk for breast cancer among Chinese women. A total of 521 women with breast cancer and age-matched controls (5-year interval) were selected from three teaching hospitals in Guangzhou, China. Concentrations of α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lutein/zeaxanthin were measured using HPLC. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to calculate OR and 95 % CI using quartiles defined in the control subjects. Significant inverse associations were observed between serum α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, lutein/zeaxanthin and the risk for breast cancer. The multivariate OR for the highest quartile of serum concentration compared with the lowest quartile were 0·44 (95 % CI 0·30, 0·65) for α-carotene, 0·27 (95 % CI 0·18, 0·40) for β-carotene, 0·41 (95 % CI 0·28, 0·61) for lycopene and 0·26 (95 % CI 0·17, 0·38) for lutein/zeaxanthin. However, no significant association was found between serum β-cryptoxanthin and the risk for breast cancer. Stratified analysis by menopausal status and oestrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR) showed that serum α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene and lutein/ zeaxanthin were inversely associated with breast cancer risk among premenopausal women and among all subtypes of ER or PR status. The results suggest a protective role of α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene and lutein/zeaxanthin, but not β-cryptoxanthin, in breast cancer risk.

Hen egg carotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin) and nutritional impacts on human health: a review

“…These mechanisms include apoptosis, antioxidant, antiinflammation as well as the modulation of multiple molecular events causing carcinogenesis. Range of research studies indicates that the serum carotenoids, including lutein and zeaxanthin, are inversely associated with breast cancer risk among women (Eliassen et al, 2013;Yan et al, 2016). Similar inverse associations are on record between serum concentrations of zeaxanthin and other carotenoids and colorectal neoplasm (Okuyama et al, 2014).…”

“…Bioactive components in dietary food or food-derived peptides provide an essential link in health maintenance, promotion, and prevention of chronic diseases, such as cancer (Hernández-Ledesma & Hsieh, 2015). Anticancer effect of dietary circulating carotenoids is surfacing (Milani et al, 2016;Wang et al, 2016;Yan et al, 2016), where bioactive components present in food can simultaneously modulate more than one potential cellular mechanisms. These mechanisms include apoptosis, antioxidant, antiinflammation as well as the modulation of multiple molecular events causing carcinogenesis.…”

Plasma carotenoids and the risk of premalignant breast disease in women aged 50 and younger: a nested case–control study

“…A pooled analysis of eight prospective studies by Eliassen et al[4] observed significant inverse associations of circulating levels of α-carotene, β-carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin, lycopene, and total carotenoids with the risk of breast cancer. Certain carotenoids exhibited a stronger inverse association with estrogen receptor negative (ER-) than estrogen receptor positive (ER+) tumors [4], although this was not replicated in subsequent studies [7, 11]. …”

“…While a few studies have investigated the relationship between serum carotenoid levels and breast cancer risk in premenopausal women [11, 12], the majority of studies have focused on postmenopausal women over the age of 50. With 24% of all breast cancer cases occurring in women under age 50 [13] and breast cancer accounting for 45% of all cancer diagnoses in women aged 25–49 [14], there is a tremendous need to understand modifiable exposures in younger women.…”

Comment on ‘Dengue viral infection monitoring from diagnostic to recovery using Raman spectroscopy’

“…After several acts of quenching, a carotenoid molecule is destroyed [19]. Stress conditions and various acute diseases are always accompanied by the generation of enormous amounts of free radicals [20], which leads to the degradation of antioxidants including carotenoids [21][22][23][24][25]. We may suggest that the same is true for dengue infection [26][27][28].…”