Slash Bladder Cancer Chances with Vitamins and Minerals
Lee Swanson Research Update
The risk of developing bladder cancer may be cut by about 35% with an increased intake of vitamin E, says a new study from an international team of researchers.
Findings published in Cancer Causes and Control also showed that carotenoids, niacin, thiamin and vitamin D may reduce the risk of bladder cancer in older people.
"The effects of vitamin E, carotenoids, vitamin D, thiamin and niacin in relation to the risk of developing bladder cancer may warrant further investigation," reported the researchers, led by Maree Brinkman from The Cancer Council Victoria in Australia.
"Future studies should focus on optimal doses and combinations of these micronutrients particularly for high risk groups such as heavy smokers and older individuals," they stated.
Bladder cancer is diagnosed in about 336,000 people every year worldwide, and it is three times more likely to affect men than women, according to the European School of Oncology.
Brinkman and her co-workers analyzed dietary data from 322 people with bladder cancer and 239 healthy controls. A 121-item food frequency questionnaire was used to estimate dietary intakes.
Results showed that, in general, people with the highest average intakes of vitamin E (at least 193.4 mg per day) were 34% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
When the researchers focused their analysis on smokers, they found that the highest intakes of vitamin E, carotenoids (18 mg) and niacin (46.5 mg), were associated with a 42, 38 and 34% reduction in bladder cancer risk in heavy smokers.
In older individuals, the highest average intakes of carotenoids, vitamin D (641 IU), thiamin (3.35 mg), niacin and vitamin E were all associated with a reduced bladder cancer risk.
"Bladder cancer is a disease that typically affects older people, and bioavailability of B-group vitamins may be compromised in this demographic by certain drugs (e.g., acid-lowering agents)," stated the researchers. "Additionally, vitamin E, like carotenoids acts as an antioxidant and, as suggested by our results, could be more beneficial under conditions of the greatest oxidative stress such as smoking and aging."
The study was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Cancer Institute at the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Cancer Causes and Control Published online ahead of print.