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Association of plasma vitamin B6 with risk of colorectal adenoma in a multiethnic case–control study

Cancer Causes & Control volume 22, Article number: 929 (2011) Cite this article

Abstract

Circulating level of vitamin B6 has been inversely associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk but, unlike for folate, few studies have examined the relationship of vitamin B6 to colorectal adenoma, the precursor lesion to most CRCs. We measured plasma levels of folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 in 241 patients with pathologically confirmed first occurrence of colorectal adenoma and 280 controls among Caucasians, Japanese Americans, and Native Hawaiians undergoing flexible sigmoidoscopy screening in Hawaii. High plasma level of vitamin B6 was independently inversely associated with risk of colorectal adenoma [multivariate odds ratios (95% confidence intervals): 1.0, 0.71 (0.45–1.13) and 0.44 (0.26–0.74) from the lowest to the highest tertile, respectively, p trend = 0.002]. Plasma folate was not associated with adenoma after adjustment for plasma vitamin B6 (p trend > 0.3). No association was observed with plasma vitamin B12. No significant interaction was detected between the three B vitamins and alcohol intake, multivitamin use or MTHFR C677T. The results provide evidence for an inverse association of plasma vitamin B6 levels with risk of colorectal adenoma. This study expands previous findings and suggests that vitamin B6 may be protective against the early stages of colorectal carcinogenesis.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Barbara Saltzman and Jean Sato for coordinating the data collection and Maj Earle and Anne Tome for help with data management. Grant support: National Cancer Institute grant R01 CA72520.

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Affiliations

  1. Epidemiology Program, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, 1236 Lauhala Street, Suite 407, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA

    Loïc Le Marchand & Hansong Wang

  2. Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA

    Jacob Selhub

  3. Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Thomas M. Vogt & Robert Decker

  4. Pacific Health Research Institute, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Lance Yokochi

Authors
  1. Loïc Le Marchand
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  2. Hansong Wang
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  3. Jacob Selhub
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  4. Thomas M. Vogt
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  5. Lance Yokochi
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  6. Robert Decker
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Correspondence to Loïc Le Marchand.

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Le Marchand, L., Wang, H., Selhub, J. et al. Association of plasma vitamin B6 with risk of colorectal adenoma in a multiethnic case–control study. Cancer Causes Control 22, 929 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-011-9759-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-011-9759-y

Keywords

  • Folate
  • Vitamin B6
  • Vitamin B12
  • Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase
  • Colorectal adenoma