Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Human Genetics Division, Medical Biotechnology Department, National Institute of Genetics Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran.

2 Biology Department, College of Science, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Iraq

3 Department of Medical genetic, national Institute for genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran

4 Personalized Medicine Research Center of AmitisGen, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, and its frequency is rising in countries with low and middle incomes. The influence of diet on mammary carcinogenesis has been clearly demonstrated in animal models. Inadequate folate intake has been associated with several cancers, and low levels of serum folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 have been associated with increased breast cancer risk. The levels of folic acid, B6, and B12 in the plasma of 85 people with breast cancer were measured and compared with healthy people. A significant inverse trend was observed between folate intake (p-value=0.004) and vitamin B6 intake (p-value=0.0001) and breast cancer risk. Data from this study suggests that B vitamins, including folate, vitamin B-6, and vitamin B-12, may confer little or no reduction in overall risk of developing breast cancer.

Keywords

  1. Ames BN. DNA damage from micronutrient deficiencies is likely to be a major cause of cancer. Mutat Res 2001;475:7–20.
  2. Mason JB, Levesque T. Folate: effects on carcinogenesis and the potential for cancer chemoprevention. Oncology (Huntingt) 1996;10:1727–36.
  3. Blount BC, Mack MM, Wehr CM, MacGregor JT, Hiatt RA, Wang G, et al. Folate deficiency causes uracil misincorporation into human DNA and chromosome breakage: implications for cancer and neuronal damage. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1997;94:3290–5.
  4. Cooper AJ. Biochemistry of sulfur-containing amino acids. Ann Rev Biochem 1983;52:187–222.
  5. Selhub J, Jacques PF, Wilson PW, Rush D, Rosenberg IH. Vitamin status and intake as primary determinants of homocysteinemia in an elderly population. JAMA 1993;270:2693–8.
  6. Tully DB, Allgood VE, Cidlowski JA. Modulation of steroid receptormediated gene expression by vitamin B6. FASEB J 1994;8:343–9.
  7. Zhang S, Hunter DJ, Hankinson SE, Giovannucci EL, Rosner BA, Colditz GA, et al. A prospective study of folate intake and the risk of breast cancer. JAMA 1999;281:1632–7.
  8. Rohan TE, Jain MG, Howe GR, Miller AB. Dietary folate consumption and breast cancer risk. J Natl Cancer Inst 2000;92:266–9.
  9. Sellers TA, Kushi LH, Cerhan JR, Vierkant RA, Gapstur SM, Vachon CM, et al. Dietary folate intake, alcohol, and risk of breast cancer in a prospective study of postmenopausal women. Epidemiology 2001;12:420–8.
  10. Negri E, La Vecchia C, Franceschi S. Re: dietary folate consumption and breast cancer risk. J Natl Cancer Inst 2000;92:1270–1.
  11. Ronco A, De Stefani E, Boffetta P, Deneo-Pellegrini H, Mendilaharsu M, Leborgne F. Vegetables, fruits, and related nutrients and risk of breast cancer: a case–control study in Uruguay. Nutr Cancer 1999;35:111–9.
  12. Freudenheim JL, Marshall JR, Vena JE, Laughlin R, Brasure JR, Swanson MK, et al. Premenopausal breast cancer risk and intake of vegetables, fruits, and related nutrients. J Natl Cancer Inst 1996;88:340–8.
  13. Graham S, Hellmann R, Marshall J, Freudenheim J, Vena J, Swanson M, et al. Nutritional epidemiology of postmenopausal breast cancer in Western New York. Am J Epidemiol 1991;134:552–66
  14. Willett WC, Sampson L, Stampfer MJ, Rosner B, Bain C, Witschi J, et al. Reproducibility and validity of a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Am J Epidemiol 1985;122:51–65
  15. Willett WC, Sampson L, Browne ML, Stampfer MJ, Rosner B, Hennekens CH, et al. The use of a self-administered questionnaire to assess diet four years in the past. Am J Epidemiol 1988;127:188–99.
  16. Salvini S, Hunter DJ, Sampson L, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA, Rosner B, et al. Food-based validation of a dietary questionnaire: the effects of weekto-week variation in food consumption. Int J Epidemiol 1989;18:858–67.
  17. Araki A, Sako Y. Determination of free and total homocysteine in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. J Chromatogr 1987;422:43–52.
  18. S. Food and Drug Administration. Statement of general policy or interpretation. Subchapter B-food and food products, part 121-food additives. Federal Register August 2, 1973;38:20725–6.