Lee Swanson Research Update

B6 May Play a Role in Fighting Colorectal Cancer Development

February 2008

"Vitamin B-6, a coenzyme in the folate metabolism pathway, may have anticarcinogenic effects," according to a study undertaken in Scotland. Researchers showed that increased intake of vitamin B-6 from diet and supplements may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by more than 20%.

Almost 5,000 people took part in the study, which reported a dose-dependent link between intake of the vitamin and the risk of colorectal cancer. The case-control study, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, involved 2,028 hospital-based colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and 2,722 population-based controls.

After adjusting the results for potentially confounding factors such as age, sex, location of the tumor, folate status and certain genotypes, lead author Evropi Theodoratou reported: "Moderately strong inverse and dose-dependent associations in the whole sample were found between CRC risk and the intake of dietary and total vitamin B-6."

The study, by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital (Edinburgh) and the University of Aberdeen, adds to an ever-growing body of science supporting the potential colorectal benefits associated with a higher intake of the B vitamins.

A meta-analysis of published studies supported the results from Scotland, the researchers wrote. High vitamin B-6 intakes were reported to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by 19%. The protective effect was found to be higher among 55-year-old individuals.

Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, published online ahead of print

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