Genetically predicted circulating concentrations of micronutrients and risk of colorectal cancer among individuals of European descent: a Mendelian randomization study
File(s)Paper Micronutrients CRC_unmarked.docx (212 KB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The literature on associations of circulating concentrations of minerals and vitamins with risk of colorectal cancer is limited and inconsistent. Evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to support the efficacy of dietary modification or nutrient supplementation for colorectal cancer prevention is also limited. OBJECTIVES: To complement observational and RCT findings, we investigated associations of genetically predicted concentrations of 11 micronutrients (β-carotene, calcium, copper, folate, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, and zinc) with colorectal cancer risk using Mendelian randomization (MR). METHODS: Two-sample MR was conducted using 58,221 individuals with colorectal cancer and 67,694 controls from the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium, Colorectal Cancer Transdisciplinary Study, and Colon Cancer Family Registry. Inverse variance-weighted MR analyses were performed with sensitivity analyses to assess the impact of potential violations of MR assumptions. RESULTS: Nominally significant associations were noted for genetically predicted iron concentration and higher risk of colon cancer [ORs per SD (ORSD): 1.08; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.17; P value = 0.05] and similarly for proximal colon cancer, and for vitamin B-12 concentration and higher risk of colorectal cancer (ORSD: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.21; P value = 0.01) and similarly for colon cancer. A nominally significant association was also noted for genetically predicted selenium concentration and lower risk of colon cancer (ORSD: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.00; P value = 0.05) and similarly for distal colon cancer. These associations were robust to sensitivity analyses. Nominally significant inverse associations were observed for zinc and risk of colorectal and distal colon cancers, but sensitivity analyses could not be performed. None of these findings survived correction for multiple testing. Genetically predicted concentrations of β-carotene, calcium, copper, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin B-6 were not associated with disease risk. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest possible causal associations of circulating iron and vitamin B-12 (positively) and selenium (inversely) with risk of colon cancer.
Date Issued
2021-06-01
Date Acceptance
2021-01-04
Citation
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2021, 113 (6), pp.1490-1502
ISSN
0002-9165
Publisher
American Society for Nutrition
Start Page
1490
End Page
1502
Journal / Book Title
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Volume
113
Issue
6
Copyright Statement
The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society for Nutrition.All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail:journals.permissions@oup.com. This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available online at: https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ajcn/nqab003/6178926
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33740060
PII: 6178926
Subjects
Mendelian randomization
colorectal cancer
genes
nutrition
supplements
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Date Publish Online
2021-03-19