Dietary folate intake and pancreatic cancer risk: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
File(s)
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer (PC) has an exceptionally low survival rate and primary prevention strategies are limited. Folate plays an important role in one-carbon metabolism and has been associated with the risk of several cancers, but not consistently with PC risk. We aimed to investigate the association between dietary folate intake and PC risk, using the standardised folate database across 10 European countries. A total of 477,206 participants were followed up for 11 years, during which 865 incident primary PC cases were recorded. Folate intake was energy-adjusted using the residual method. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. In multivariable analyses stratified by age, sex, study centre and adjusted for energy intake, smoking status, BMI, educational level, diabetes status, supplement use and dietary fibre intake, we found no significant association between folate intake and PC risk: the HR of PC risk for those in the highest quartile of folate intake (≥353 μg/d) compared with the lowest (<241 μg/d) was 0.81 (95% CI: 0.51, 1.31; Ptrend = 0.38). In current smokers, a positive trend was observed in PC risk across folate quartiles (HR=4.42 (95% CI: 1.05, 18.62) for ≥353 μg/d vs. <241 μg/d, Ptrend = 0.01). Nonetheless, there was no significant interaction between smoking and dietary folate intake (Pinteraction = 0.99). We found no association between dietary folate intake and PC risk in this large European study.
Date Issued
2019-04-01
Date Acceptance
2018-07-17
Citation
International Journal of Cancer, 2019, 144 (7), pp.1511-1521
ISSN
0020-7136
Publisher
Wiley
Start Page
1511
End Page
1521
Journal / Book Title
International Journal of Cancer
Volume
144
Issue
7
Copyright Statement
© 2018 Wiley. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30178496
Subjects
EPIC study
dietary folate intake
pancreatic cancer
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Date Publish Online
2018-09-04