Magnesium intake in relation to risk of colorectal cancer in women.
BACKGROUND
Animal studies have suggested that dietary magnesium may play a role in the prevention of colorectal cancer, but data in humans are lacking.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the hypothesis that a high magnesium intake reduces the risk of colorectal cancer in women.


METHODS
The Swedish Mammography Cohort, a population-based prospective cohort of 61,433 women aged 40 to 75 years without previous diagnosis of cancer at baseline from 1987 to 1990.


METHODS
Incident invasive colorectal cancer.


RESULTS
During a mean of 14.8 years (911 042 person-years) of follow-up, 805 incident colorectal cancer cases were diagnosed. After adjustment for potential confounders, we observed an inverse association of magnesium intake with the risk of colorectal cancer (P for trend = .006). Compared with women in the lowest quintile of magnesium intake, the multivariate rate ratio (RR) was 0.59 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40-0.87) for those in the highest quintile. The inverse association was observed for both colon (RR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.41-1.07) and rectal cancer (RR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.22-0.89).


CONCLUSIONS
This population-based prospective study suggests that a high magnesium intake may reduce the occurrence of colorectal cancer in women.
Larsson
Susanna C
SC
Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, The National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Bergkvist
Leif
L
Wolk
Alicja
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008274:Magnesium / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D013548:Sweden
D008274:Magnesium