Association of dietary intakes of vitamin B12, vitamin B6, folate, and methionine with the risk of esophageal cancer: the Japan Public Health Center-based (JPHC) prospective study
Paramita Khairan,
Tomotaka Sobue,
Ehab Salah Eshak,
Ling Zha,
Tetsuhisa Kitamura,
Norie Sawada,
Motoki Iwasaki,
Manami Inoue,
Taiki Yamaji,
Taichi Shimazu,
Hiroyasu Iso,
Shoichiro Tsugane
Affiliations
Paramita Khairan
Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University
Tomotaka Sobue
Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University
Ehab Salah Eshak
Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine
Ling Zha
Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University
Tetsuhisa Kitamura
Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University
Norie Sawada
Epidemiology and Prevention Group, Center for Public Health Sciences, National Cancer Center
Motoki Iwasaki
Epidemiology and Prevention Group, Center for Public Health Sciences, National Cancer Center
Manami Inoue
Epidemiology and Prevention Group, Center for Public Health Sciences, National Cancer Center
Taiki Yamaji
Epidemiology and Prevention Group, Center for Public Health Sciences, National Cancer Center
Taichi Shimazu
Epidemiology and Prevention Group, Center for Public Health Sciences, National Cancer Center
Hiroyasu Iso
Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine
Shoichiro Tsugane
Epidemiology and Prevention Group, Center for Public Health Sciences, National Cancer Center
Abstract Background B vitamins and methionine are essential substrates in the one-carbon metabolism pathway involved in DNA synthesis and methylation. They may have essential roles in cancer development. We aimed to evaluate the associations of dietary intakes of vitamin B12, vitamin B6, folate, and methionine with the risk of esophageal cancer (EC) using data from the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study. Methods We included 87,053 Japanese individuals who completed a food frequency questionnaire and were followed up from 1995–1998 to 2013 and 2015. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by Cox proportional-hazard regression across quintiles of dietary intakes of B vitamins and methionine. Results After 1,456,678 person-years of follow-up, 427 EC cases were documented. The multivariable HR (95% CI) of incident EC in the highest versus lowest quintile of dietary intake of vitamin B12 was 1.75 (1.13–2.71; p-trend=0.01). Stratification analysis based on alcohol consumption showed that higher dietary intakes of vitamin B12 and methionine were associated with an increased risk of EC among never-drinkers; HRs (95% CIs) were 2.82 (1.18–6.74; p-trend=0.009; p-interaction=0.18) and 3.45 (1.32–9.06; p-trend=0.003; p-interaction 0.02) for vitamin B12 and methionine, respectively. Meanwhile, there was no association between vitamin B12 and methionine intake with the risk of EC among drinkers. There were no associations between dietary intake of folate or vitamin B6 and the risk of EC. Conclusion Dietary intake of vitamin B12 was positively associated with the risk of EC in the Japanese population.
