(21-02-16) Plasma carotenoids, vitamin C, tocopherols, and retinol and the risk of breast cancer in the European Prospective Investigation

Plasma carotenoids, vitamin C, tocopherols, and retinol and the risk of breast cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort.
Bakker MF1, Peeters PH2, Klaasen VM3, Bueno-de-Mesquita HB4, Jansen EH5, Ros MM5, Travier N6, Olsen A7, Tjønneland A7,Overvad K8, Rinaldi S9, Romieu I9, Brennan P9, Boutron-Ruault MC10, Perquier F10, Cadeau C10, Boeing H11, Aleksandrova K11,Kaaks R12, Kühn T12, Trichopoulou A13, Lagiou P14, Trichopoulos D15, Vineis P16, Krogh V17, Panico S18, Masala G19, Tumino R20,Weiderpass E21, Skeie G22, Lund E22, Quirós JR23, Ardanaz E24, Navarro C25, Amiano P26, Sánchez MJ27, Buckland G6, Ericson U28, Sonestedt E28, Johansson M29, Sund M30, Travis RC31, Key TJ31, Khaw KT32, Wareham N33, Riboli E34, van Gils CH35.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Carotenoids and vitamin C are thought to be associated with reduced cancer risk because of their antioxidative capacity.
OBJECTIVE:
This study evaluated the associations of plasma carotenoid, retinol, tocopherol, and vitamin C concentrations and risk of breast cancer.
DESIGN:
In a nested case-control study within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort, 1502 female incident breast cancer cases were included, with an oversampling of premenopausal (n = 582) and estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) cases (n = 462). Controls (n = 1502) were individually matched to cases by using incidence density sampling. Prediagnostic samples were analyzed for α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, retinol, α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, and vitamin C. Breast cancer risk was computed according to hormone receptor status and age at diagnosis (proxy for menopausal status) by using conditional logistic regression and was further stratified by smoking status, alcohol consumption, and body mass index (BMI). All statistical tests were 2-sided.
RESULTS:
In quintile 5 compared with quintile 1, α-carotene (OR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.39, 0.98) and β-carotene (OR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.26, 0.65) were inversely associated with risk of ER- breast tumors. The other analytes were not statistically associated with ER- breast cancer. For estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) tumors, no statistically significant associations were found. The test for heterogeneity between ER- and ER+ tumors was statistically significant only for β-carotene (P-heterogeneity = 0.03). A higher risk of breast cancer was found for retinol in relation to ER-/progesterone receptor-negative tumors (OR: 2.37; 95% CI: 1.20, 4.67; P-heterogeneity with ER+/progesterone receptor positive = 0.06). We observed no statistically significant interaction between smoking, alcohol, or BMI and all investigated plasma analytes (based on tertile distribution).
CONCLUSION:
Our results indicate that higher concentrations of plasma β-carotene and α-carotene are associated with lower breast cancer risk of ER- tumors.

Source: Am J Clin Nutr. 2016 Jan 20. pii: ajcn101659. [Epub ahead of print]ahead of print]

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