Lee Swanson Research Update

High B-6 Levels May Lower Colon Cancer Risk For Women

September 2005

vitamin B-6

Women with high levels of vitamin B-6 in their diet appear to have less risk of developing colorectal cancer, according to researchers in Sweden. A team led by Dr. Susanna C. Larsson, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm analyzed data from 61,433 women in the population-based Swedish Mammography Cohort.

The women were ages 40-76 and cancer-free when they enrolled. Their health histories were followed for an average of nearly 15 years. In the follow-up period, 805 women were diagnosed with colorectal cancer. After taking age and other factors into account, researchers found that the greater the long-term dietary intake of vitamin B-6, the lower the risk of colorectal cancer.

Women with the highest levels of B-6 intake were 34% less likely to develop colorectal cancer than those with the lowest levels. The effect was more dramatic among women who consumed two or more alcoholic drinks per week. Here, the difference in colon cancer risk between the highest and lowest intake of vitamin B-6 was 72%.

Gastroenterology 128(7):1830-1837, 2005

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