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Willner Chemists: The Nutritional Supplement Professionals
B-Vitamins Reduce
Breast Cancer Risk
I
n this large, four-year study of 27,853 women, aged at
least 45, those who got the most B-complex vitamin
supplements were 33 percent less likely to develop
breast cancer compared to women who got the least B-
vitamin supplements. For individual B vitamins, women
who got the most pyridoxine or thiamine from supplements
were 39 percent less likely than non-users.
Women in the bottom half of alcohol consumers had the
greatest B-vitamin supplement benefit: 40 to 53 percent
lower chances. B vitamins from food were also beneficial,
lowering chances by 24 percent for women who got the
most B vitamins from diet.
Reference: Nutrients; 2017, Vol. 9, No. 5, 488)
From the publication's introduction: "Breast cancer is the
most common cancer among women in the world, with
approximatively 1.67 million new cases of breast cancer
diagnosed in 2012; and nearly 522,000 associated deaths
[1]. Experimental studies have suggested protective effects
of micronutrients involved in one-carbon metabolism such
as B-vitamins (folate, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin,
pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, cobalamin) on breast cancer
risk, notably through genetic and epigenetic mechanisms.
One carbon-metabolism is a network of biochemical
pathways that provides methyl groups. Its disruption can
promote carcinogenesis by interfering with DNA
replication, DNA repair, or the regulation of gene
expression [2].
"Folate has been by far the most investigated B-vitamin. A
limited number of placebo-controlled randomized trials
have evaluated the effect of folic acid supplementation on
breast cancer risk. In 2013, a meta-analysis of such studies
showed null results (13 included trials) [3]. Few
randomized controlled trials have been conducted to test
the effect of other B-vitamins but cancer was not the
primary outcome, and no significant effect on breast cancer
risk was observed [4].
Even if randomized trials can provide evidence regarding
the causality of the studied associations, observational
studies provide complementary information since they are
based on real exposures in terms of nutrient associations,
sources (dietary, supplemental), and doses.
In 2010, the World Cancer Research Fund and the
American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR)
conducted a systematic literature review [5] that included
twelve prospective observational studies on breast cancer
risk and folate intake, two on cobalamin, only one for
riboflavin, one for pyridoxine, and two on B-vitamin
supplement use. For all B-vitamins, the level of proof was
judged "limited-non conclusion" [5]. Since then, few
epidemiological prospective studies investigated the
associations between intakes of B-vitamins and breast
cancer risk. Most of them focused on folate intakes
[6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14] and showed contrasting results.
Even if some studies suggested an inverse association
between folate intakes and breast cancer risk [6,7,11,12],
most of the others did not show any significant association
[7,9,10,12,14]. For other B-vitamins, the literature is
scarcer [4,9] and only one prospective cohort study found
an inverse significant association between dietary intakes of
thiamin, riboflavin, and pyridoxine and breast cancer risk
[6]. Moreover, a limited number of prospective studies
specifically investigated the associations between B-vitamin
supplement use and breast cancer risk
[8,11,15,16,17,18,19,20] and even less took into account
supplement doses [8,11,15,16,17]. Dietary supplement use
is constantly increasing in western countries and their
omission in many European epidemiological studies may
lead to underestimating the intake [21]. Besides, a given
nutrient may have differential effects according to its vector
(food or supplement).
"Furthermore, experimental evidence suggested a
potential interaction between B-vitamins and alcohol
intake (especially folates) by interfering with their transport,
absorption, and metabolism, which may modulate the
association with breast cancer risk [22]. However results of
the prospective epidemiological studies that investigated
such interaction mostly focused on folates and showed
contrasted results [6,9,10,11,14,15,16,17,18,19,23,24,25].
Some of them suggested that low folate intake could be
associated with an increased breast cancer risk among
women with higher alcohol consumption ([16,19]) while
many did not show any significant association
[6,9,10,11,14,15,17,18,23,24,25]. Few prospective studies
examined the interactions between alcohol intake and
other B-vitamins [6,9,11,24,25].
"Thus, this study aimed at investigating the associations
between intakes of B-vitamins (dietary, supplemental, and
total) and breast cancer risk in middle-aged women, and
their potential modulation by alcohol intake."
Abstract:
B-Vitamin Intake from Diet and Supplements and Breast
Cancer Risk in Middle-Aged Women: Results from the
Prospective NutriNet-SantÇ Cohort
by Manon Egnell, Philippine Fassier, Lucie LÇcuyer, Laurent
Zelek, Marie-Paule Vasson, Serge Hercberg, Paule Latino-
Martel, Pilar Galan, MÇlanie Deschasaux and Mathilde
Touvier
Nutrients 2017, 9(5), 488;
Received: 2 March 2017 / Revised: 9 May 2017 / Accepted:
10 May 2017 / Published: 13 May 2017
Cited by 2 | PDF Full-text (303 KB) | HTML Full-text | XML
Full-text | Supplementary Files
Abstract Experimental studies suggest a protective effect
of B-vitamins on breast cancer risk, potentially modulated
by alcohol intake. However, epidemiological studies are
limited, especially regarding non-folate B-vitamins.
Furthermore, few studies included quantitative assessment
of supplemental intake. This prospective study aimed to
investigate the associations between intakes of B-vitamins
(dietary, supplemental, total) and breast cancer risk. 27,853
women aged =45 years from the NutriNet-SantÇ cohort
(2009 2016) were included, with a median follow-up time
of 4.2 years. Dietary data were collected using repeated 24
h records. A specific questionnaire assessed dietary
supplement use over a 12-month period. A composition
database of 8000 supplements was developed. Associations
were characterized by multivariable Cox models, and 462
incident breast cancers were diagnosed. Dietary
(HRQ4vs.Q1 = 0.74 (0.55, 0.99), P-trend = 0.05),
supplemental (HRQ4vs.Q1 = 0.61 (0.38, 0.98), P-trend =
0.05), and total (HRQ4vs.Q1 = 0.67 (0.50, 0.91), P-trend
= 0.01) pyridoxine intakes were inversely associated with
breast cancer risk. Total thiamin intake was borderline
inversely associated with breast cancer risk (HRper 1-unit
increment = 0.78 (0.61, 1.00), P = 0.05). Statistically
significant interactions between alcohol consumption and
B-vitamin (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid,
pyridoxine, folate, and cobalamin) supplemental intake
were observed, the latter being inversely associated with
breast cancer risk in non-to-low alcohol drinkers but not in
higher drinkers. This large prospective study, including
quantitative assessment of supplemental intake, suggests a
potential protective effect of pyridoxine and thiamin on
breast cancer risk in middle-aged women.
“
In this large, four-year study of 27,853 women, aged at least 45,
those who got the most B-complex vitamin supplements were 33
percent less likely to develop breast cancer compared to women who
got the least B-vitamin supplements. For individual B vitamins,
women who got the most pyridoxine or thiamine from supplements
were 39 percent less likely than non-users.”
Willner Chemists
Product Recommendations
by Arnie Gitomer
B-Complex
vitamins can be
obtained from a good
multivitamin such as
Willvite
Product Number: 30439
or
Willvite Iron Free
Product Number: 44384
Note:
Information in this article is provided for informational purposes only. Any and all information is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other
healthcare provider. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
