title: Folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and methionine intakes and risk for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Chinese adults: a matched case-control study.
abstract: Many studies have suggested that folate-related one-carbon metabolism-related nutrients may play a role in certain cancer risks, but few studies have assessed their associations with the risk for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this study, we investigated the association between four folate-related one-carbon metabolism-related nutrients (folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and methionine) and NPC risk in Chinese adults. A total of 600 patients newly diagnosed (within 3 months) with NPC were individually matched with 600 hospital-based controls by age, sex and household type (urban v. rural). Folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and methionine intakes were measured using a validated seventy-eight-item FFQ. A higher dietary folate or vitamin B6 intake was associated with a lower NPC risk after adjusting for potential confounders. The adjusted OR of NPC for quartiles 2-4 (v. 1) were 0·66 (95% CI 0·48, 0·91), 0·52 (95% CI 0·37, 0·74) and 0·34 (95% CI 0·23, 0·50) (P(trend)<0·001) for folate and 0·72 (95% CI 0·52, 1·00), 0·55 (95% CI 0·39, 0·78) and 0·44 (95% CI 0·30, 0·63) (P(trend)<0·001) for vitamin B6. No significant association with NPC risk was observed for dietary vitamin B12 or methionine intake. The risk for NPC with dietary folate intake was more evident in the participants who were not exposed to toxic substances than in those who were exposed (P(interaction)=0·014). This study suggests that dietary folate and vitamin B6 may be protective for NPC in a high-risk population.
authors.affiliation: 1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food, Nutrition and Health,School of Public Health,Sun Yat-sen University,Guangzhou 510080,People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Fang-fang
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: 1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food, Nutrition and Health,School of Public Health,Sun Yat-sen University,Guangzhou 510080,People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuan-ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: 4Ophthalmic Center,Yat-sen University,Guangzhou 510060,People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiao-ling
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: 4Ophthalmic Center,Yat-sen University,Guangzhou 510060,People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yu-Ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: 4Ophthalmic Center,Yat-sen University,Guangzhou 510060,People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xing-lan
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: 1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food, Nutrition and Health,School of Public Health,Sun Yat-sen University,Guangzhou 510080,People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chun-hua
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: 1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food, Nutrition and Health,School of Public Health,Sun Yat-sen University,Guangzhou 510080,People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yu-ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002277:Carcinoma; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077274:Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000473:pathology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D025101:Vitamin B 6 / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014803:Vitamin B Complex / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014804:Vitamin B Deficiency / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D014803:Vitamin B Complex; D025101:Vitamin B 6; D005492:Folic Acid; D008715:Methionine; D014805:Vitamin B 12
keywords: B vitamins; Case–control studies; Folate; Methionine; NPC nasopharyngeal carcinoma; Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; SES socio-economic status