title: Alcohol consumption, one-carbon metabolites, liver cancer and liver disease mortality.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Excess alcohol consumption adversely affects one-carbon metabolism and increases the risk of liver disease and liver cancer. Conversely, higher folate levels have been inversely associated with liver damage. The current study investigated the effects of alcohol and one-carbon metabolite intake on liver cancer incidence and liver disease mortality within the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to calculate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in a population of 27,086 Finnish males with 194 incident liver cancers and 213 liver disease deaths. In a nested case-control subset (95 liver cancers, 103 controls), logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios and 95% CIs for serum one-carbon metabolites in relation to liver cancer risk.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Daily alcohol consumption of more than 20.44 g was associated with an increased risk of both liver cancer incidence (Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.52, 95%CI 1.06-2.18) and liver disease mortality (HR 6.68, 95%CI 4.16-10.71). These risks were unaffected by one-carbon metabolite intake. Similarly, in the case-control study, none of the serum one-carbon metabolites were associated with liver cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study provided no convincing evidence for a protective association of one-carbon metabolite intake or serum level on the risk of liver cancer or liver disease mortality.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Lauren M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: E Christina
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.forename: Stephanie J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Weinstein
authors.forename: Barry I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Graubard
authors.forename: Neal D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Freedman
authors.forename: Satu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Männistö
authors.forename: Demetrius
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Albanes
authors.forename: Katherine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: McGlynn
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002244:Carbon / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon