ABSTRACT
This case-cohort study examined the association between plasma enterolactone concentration and incidence of colon and rectal cancer in the Diet, Cancer and Health cohort, which enrolled 57,053 participants aged 50-64. Information about diet and lifestyle was obtained by questionnaire, and data on prescriptions of antibiotics were obtained from the Danish Prescription Registry. Cases diagnosed during 5.9 years of follow-up and a randomly selected sample of the cohort had a plasma sample analyzed for enterolactone by time-resolved fluoro-immuno assay. Associations were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards model. A total of 244 colon cancer cases, 137 rectal cancer cases, and 370 sub-cohort members were included in the statistical analyses. For each doubling in enterolactone concentration, we found lower risk of colon cancer among women [IRR (95% CI) = 0.76 (0.60-0.96)] and a tendency toward lower risk of rectal cancer [IRR (95% CI) = 0.83 (0.60-1.14)]. Among men, a doubling in enterolactone tended to be associated with higher risk of colon cancer [IRR (95% CI) = 1.09 (0.89-1.34)] and was associated with statistically significantly higher risk of rectal cancer [IRR (95% CI) = 1.74 (1.25-2.44)]. Exclusion of antibiotics users strengthened the results slightly. In conclusion, with higher enterolactone levels, we found lower risk of colon cancer among women and higher risk of rectal cancer among men.
Subject(s)
4-Butyrolactone/analogs & derivatives , Colonic Neoplasms/epidemiology , Lignans/blood , Phytoestrogens/blood , Rectal Neoplasms/epidemiology , 4-Butyrolactone/blood , Case-Control Studies , Cohort Studies , Denmark , Feeding Behavior , Female , Humans , Life Style , Male , Middle Aged , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Some evidence indicates that a low selenium intake may be associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of plasma selenium concentration with subsequent prostate cancer risk and to examine this association by stage and grade of disease and other factors. DESIGN: A nested case-control study was performed among men in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). The association between plasma selenium concentration and prostate cancer risk was assessed in 959 men with incident prostate cancer and 1059 matched controls. RESULTS: Overall, plasma selenium concentration was not associated with prostate cancer risk; the multivariate relative risk for men in the highest fifth of selenium concentration compared with the lowest fifth was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.70, 1.31; P for trend = 0.25). There were no significant differences in the association of plasma selenium with risk when analyzed by stage or grade of disease. Similarly, the association of selenium with risk did not differ by smoking status or by plasma alpha- or gamma-tocopherol concentration. CONCLUSION: Plasma selenium concentration was not associated with prostate cancer risk in this large cohort of European men.