This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bostick, R. M. Articles by Folsom, A. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bostick, R. M. Articles by Folsom, A. R.

Reduced Risk of Colon Cancer with High Intake of Vitamin E: The Iowa Women's Health Study¹

Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health [R. M. B., J. D. P., D. R. M., T. A. S., L. H. K., K. A. S., A. R. F.], and Department of Family Practice and Community Health, Medical School [R. M. B.], University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454

Antioxidant micronutrients, including vitamin E, vitamin C, the carotenoids, and selenium, defend the body against free radicals and reactive oxygen molecules, suggesting a potential for these dietary components in cancer prevention. To investigate whether high intakes of antioxidant micronutrients protect against colon cancer in humans, we analyzed data from a prospective cohort study of 35,215 Iowa women aged 55–69 years and without a history of cancer who completed a dietary questionnaire in 1986. Through 1990, 212 incident cases of colon cancer were documented. Adjusted for age, total vitamin E intake was inversely associated with the risk of colon cancer (P for trend < 0.0001); the relative risk for the highest compared to the lowest quintile was 0.32 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.19, 0.54]. Further adjustment for total energy intake and other risk factors in proportional hazards regression had little effect on these estimates. The association was not uniform across age groups: the multivariate relative risk of colon cancer for the highest compared to the lowest quintile of total vitamin E intake was 0.16 (95% CI 0.04, 0.70) for those 55–59 years old, 0.37 (95% CI 0.12, 1.16) for those 60–64 years old, and 0.93 (95% CI 0.27, 3.25) for those 65–69 years old. Multivariate-adjusted relative risks among women with higher total intakes of vitamins A and C and ß-carotene, and among users of selenium supplements, were not significantly different from 1.0. These prospective data provide evidence that a high intake of vitamin E may decrease the risk of colon cancer, especially in persons under 65 years of age.

¹ Supported by Grant RO1 CA39742 from the National Cancer Institute. The contents of this paper are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the National Cancer Institute.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, 1300 South 2nd Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454.

Received 12/14/92. Accepted 7/ 7/93.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. A. Meyerhardt, D. Niedzwiecki, D. Hollis, L. B. Saltz, F. B. Hu, R. J. Mayer, H. Nelson, R. Whittom, A. Hantel, J. Thomas, et al. Association of Dietary Patterns With Cancer Recurrence and Survival in Patients With Stage III Colon Cancer JAMA, August 15, 2007; 298(7): 754 - 764. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Fujise, R. Iwakiri, T. Kakimoto, R. Shiraishi, Y. Sakata, B. Wu, S. Tsunada, A. Ootani, and K. Fujimoto Long-term feeding of various fat diets modulates azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis through Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in rats Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol, April 1, 2007; 292(4): G1150 - G1156. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. R. Folsom and C.-P. Hong Magnesium Intake and Reduced Risk of Colon Cancer in a Prospective Study of Women Am. J. Epidemiol., February 1, 2006; 163(3): 232 - 235. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. I.R. Gill, S. Haldar, S. Porter, S. Matthews, S. Sullivan, J. Coulter, H. McGlynn, and I. Rowland The Effect of Cruciferous and Leguminous Sprouts on Genotoxicity, In vitro and In vivo Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., July 1, 2004; 13(7): 1199 - 1205. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. W Leonard, C. K Good, E. T Gugger, and M. G Traber Vitamin E bioavailability from fortified breakfast cereal is greater than that from encapsulated supplements Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, January 1, 2004; 79(1): 86 - 92. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Murtaugh, K.-n. Ma, J. Benson, K. Curtin, B. Caan, and M. L. Slattery Antioxidants, Carotenoids, and Risk of Rectal Cancer Am. J. Epidemiol., January 1, 2004; 159(1): 32 - 41. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. White, R. E. Patterson, A. R. Kristal, M. Thornquist, I. King, A. L. Shattuck, I. Evans, J. Satia-Abouta, A. J. Littman, and J. D. Potter VITamins And Lifestyle Cohort Study: Study Design and Characteristics of Supplement Users Am. J. Epidemiol., January 1, 2004; 159(1): 83 - 93. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				U.S. Preventive Services Task Force* Routine Vitamin Supplementation To Prevent Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease: Recommendations and Rationale Ann Intern Med, July 1, 2003; 139(1): 51 - 55. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Wu, W. C. Willett, J. M. Chan, C. S. Fuchs, G. A. Colditz, E. B. Rimm, and E. L. Giovannucci A Prospective Study on Supplemental Vitamin E Intake and Risk of Colon Cancer in Women and Men Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., November 1, 2002; 11(11): 1298 - 1304. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. J. Duffield-Lillico, M. E. Reid, B. W. Turnbull, G. F. Combs Jr., E. H. Slate, L. A. Fischbach, J. R. Marshall, and L. C. Clark Baseline Characteristics and the Effect of Selenium Supplementation on Cancer Incidence in a Randomized Clinical Trial: A Summary Report of the Nutritional Prevention of Cancer Trial Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., July 1, 2002; 11(7): 630 - 639. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. C. Willett and M. J. Stampfer What Vitamins Should I Be Taking, Doctor? N. Engl. J. Med., December 20, 2001; 345(25): 1819 - 1824. [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. I. Salganik The Benefits and Hazards of Antioxidants: Controlling Apoptosis and Other Protective Mechanisms in Cancer Patients and the Human Population J. Am. Coll. Nutr., October 1, 2001; 20(90005): 464S - 472. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				E. J. Jacobs, C. J. Connell, A. V. Patel, A. Chao, C. Rodriguez, J. Seymour, M. L. McCullough, E. E. Calle, and M. J. Thun Vitamin C and Vitamin E Supplement Use and Colorectal Cancer Mortality in a Large American Cancer Society Cohort Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., January 1, 2001; 10(1): 17 - 23. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				W. C. Willett Diet and Cancer Oncologist, October 1, 2000; 5(5): 393 - 404. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				A. C Carr and B. Frei Toward a new recommended dietary allowance for vitamin C based on antioxidant and health effects in humans Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, June 1, 1999; 69(6): 1086 - 1107. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R.-P. Huang, A. Peng, M. Z. Hossain, Y. Fan, A. Jagdale, and A. L. Boynton Tumor promotion by hydrogen peroxide in rat liver epithelial cells Carcinogenesis, March 1, 1999; 20(3): 485 - 492. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M LANGMAN and P BOYLE Chemoprevention of colorectal cancer Gut, October 1, 1998; 43(4): 578 - 585. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. P. Neglia, S. C. FitzSimmons, P. Maisonneuve, M. H. Schoni, F. Schoni-Affolter, M. Corey, A. B. Lowenfels, and The Cystic Fibrosis and Cancer Study Group The Risk of Cancer among Patients with Cystic Fibrosis N. Engl. J. Med., February 23, 1995; 332(8): 494 - 499. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. R. Greenberg, J. A. Baron, T. D. Tosteson, D. H. Freeman, G. J. Beck, J. H. Bond, T. A. Colacchio, J. A. Coller, H. D. Frankl, R. W. Haile, et al. A Clinical Trial of Antioxidant Vitamins to Prevent Colorectal Adenoma N. Engl. J. Med., July 21, 1994; 331(3): 141 - 147. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				M. Angell and J. P. Kassirer Clinical Research -- What Should the Public Believe? N. Engl. J. Med., July 21, 1994; 331(3): 189 - 190. [Full Text]

				Beta Carotene Cancer Prevention Study Group The Al The Effect of Vitamin E and Beta Carotene on the Incidence of Lung Cancer and Other Cancers in Male Smokers N. Engl. J. Med., April 14, 1994; 330(15): 1029 - 1035. [Abstract] [Full Text]