Folate and Vitamin B6 Reduces Risk of Esophageal Cancer
A study published by the Journal of Nutrition in December 2013 states that greater folate and vitamin B6 intake is related to a decrease in risk of esophageal cancer. In the U.S., the lifetime risk of esophageal cancer is approximately one in 125 in men and about one in 435 in women. Acid reflux may cause inflammation (esophagitis) and can develop into Barrett’s esophagus, which increases the risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma.
The subjects included 223 individuals with esophageal adenocarcinoma, 220 individuals with Barrett’s esophagus, 219 individuals with reflux esophagitis and 256 control subjects. The subjects underwent structured interviews and completed food-frequency questionnaires.
The researchers found that the risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma decreased with increasing folate intake. More specifically, the subjects with the highest intake of folate showed a 44 percent decrease in the risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma compared to the subjects with the lowest intake. The investigators found similar trends with folate intake and the risk of reflux esophagitis and Barrett’s esophagus.
The investigators also determined that higher intake of vitamin B6 was associated with decreased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma, reflux esophagitis and Barrett’s esophagus. Higher intake of riboflavin (B2) was associated with a lower risk of reflux esophagitis. The researchers found that vitamin B12 intake was associated with increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma, although did not give an explanation for this finding. In addition, the investigators showed that among current smokers, low folate intake was associated with more than eight times the risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma and nearly three times the risk of Barrett’s esophagus, as compared to non-smokers with high folate intake.
The investigators stated, “Folate and other dietary methyl-group factors are implicated in the etiology of esophageal adenocarcinoma and its precursors.”
Reference:
Sharp L, et al. J Nutr. 2013;12:1966-73.
