Increased B vitamin intake associated with lower pancreatic cancer risk
February 5 2016
Researchers from the University of Pittsburg have uncovered an association between an increase in the intake of vitamin B6 and choline and a lower risk ofcancer of the pancreas. The findings were reported online on December 28, 2015 in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
For the current investigation, J. Y. Huang and colleagues utilized data from the Singapore Chinese Health Study that enrolled 63,257 men and women between 1993 and 1998. Dietary questionnaire responses provided information on the intake of one-carbon metabolism-related nutrients, which include vitamins B2, B6 and B12, along with folate, choline and betaine (TMG). As of the end of 2013, 271 pancreatic cancer cases were identified over an average of 16.3 years of follow-up.
Among subjects whose intake of vitamin B6 was among the top 20% of participants, there was a 48% lower risk of developing pancreatic cancer in comparison with those whose intake was among the lowest 20%. For those whose choline intake was highest, the risk of pancreatic cancer was 33% lower.
As possible cancer-protective mechanisms for vitamin B6, the authors cite its role as a cofactor for enzymes involved in DNA synthesis and methylation pathways of one-carbon metabolism, as well as an ability to protect DNA from oxidative damage. In regard to choline, its role as a methyl donor may also help protect against pancreatic carcinogenesis. "To our knowledge, no epidemiological study has studied the relationship between dietary choline and pancreatic cancer risk," Dr Huang and associates announce.
They conclude that "Future studies are needed to study the underlying mechanisms of how vitamin B6 and choline, as well as other correlated one-carbon metabolism–related nutrients, may protect against the development of pancreatic cancer."
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