Diet and premalignant lesions of the cervix: evidence of a protective role for folate, riboflavin, thiamin, and vitamin B₁₂

Abstract

Objective: A case-control study was conducted among a population of multiethnic women identified from clinics on Oahu, Hawaii between 1992 and 1996 to explore the relationship between diet and cervical dysplasia. Methods: Two-hundred and fourteen women with biopsy-confirmed high and low grade squamous intraepithelial lesions of the cervix (SIL) and 271 controls were identified. Exfoliated cervical cells were collected for HPV DNA testing. Surveys were administered to assess non-dietary risk factors and intake of nutrients from over 250 specific food items as well as nutritional supplements. Results: Riboflavin and thiamin from food sources, vitamin B 12 supplements, and total (food and supplements) folate displayed inverse, dose-responsive associations with high-grade SIL (HSIL). Riboflavin from food sources and total folate also demonstrated inverse, dose-responsive associations with low-grade SIL (LSIL). The odds ratios for LSIL and HSIL were reduced by 50-90% for the highest compared to the lowest levels of intake of these nutrients. A number of major food sources of these vitamins, including all types of breads, bran cereal, and fruit juice, also demonstrated inverse associations with HSIL. There was some evidence that the increased risk of HSIL associated with low nutrient intake was most pronounced among drinkers and smokers. Conclusions: This investigation provides evidence that thiamin, riboflavin, folate, and vitamin B 12 may play a protective role in cervical carcinogenesis.

Association between dietary calcium and vitamin D intake and cervical carcinogenesis among Japanese women

“…Data on the association between nutritional factors and cervical neoplasia risk are sparse and inconsistent (Liu et al, 1993;Goodman et al, 2000Goodman et al, , 2007Yeo et al, 2000;Shannon et al, 2002;Hernandez et al, 2003;Garcia-Closas et al, 2005;Goodman et al, 2007;World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research, 2007;Ghosh et al, 2008). Liu et al (1993) found no association between calcium intake and cervical dysplasia, with a multivariate-adjusted OR for the highest to lowest level of intake of 0.9 (95% CI 0.4-2.1; trend P ¼ 0.58).…”

“…Nevertheless, the majority of women with HPV infection do not develop cervical cancer, and the involvement of other etiological factors, such as smoking, oral contraceptive use, gravidity or diet, has thus been suggested (Verreault et al, 1989;Nagata et al, 1999;Kjellberg et al, 2000;Yeo et al, 2000;Shannon et al, 2002;Hernandez et al, 2003;Shields et al, 2004;Garcia-Closas et al, 2005; World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research, 2007). With regard to diet, however, data are presently too sparse to allow the drawing of any conclusions.…”

Moderate folate depletion modulates the expression of selected genes involved in cell cycle, intracellular signaling and folate uptake in human colonic epithelial cell lines

“…Human population studies show that a high dietary folate intake is associated with a diminished risk of colorectal cancer [1][2][3] and, possibly, of cancers of the breast [4][5][6], uterine cervix [7][8][9], lung [10,11], esophagus and pancreas [12] as well. The inverse association between folate status and the risk for carcinogenesis is thought to be explained by the role of folate coenzymes in providing one-carbon moieties for nucleotide and S-adenosylmethionine (via methionine) synthesis [13].…”

Epigenetic Regulation of Human Riboflavin Transporter 2(hRFT2) in Cervical Cancers from Uighur Women

“…Some epidemiologic studies have reported a relationship between cervical cancer and diets low in riboflavin (Hernandez et al, 2003), and animal studies have shown that riboflavin deficiency can lead to disruption of the esophagus epithelium, in a similar manner to precancerous Jun-Qi Ma 1 , Shajidai Kurban 2 , Jun-Da Zhao 1 , Qiao-Zhi Li 2 *, Ayshamgul Hasimu 2 lesions in human's cervical cancer (Murphy et al, 2010). Riboflavin also participates in various metabolic redox reactions, and is involved in one carbon metabolism, which is a network of interrelated biochemical pathways that generate one carbon groups needed for physiologic processes (De Souza et al, 2006).…”