American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 52, 909-915, Copyright © 1990 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Breast cancer and dietary and plasma concentrations of carotenoids and vitamin A

N Potischman, CE McCulloch, T Byers, T Nemoto, N Stubbe, R Milch, R Parker, KM Rasmussen, M Root and S Graham
Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

A case-control study of breast cancer was conducted in Buffalo. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire and donated a fasting blood sample before definitive workup for breast masses. Dietary and plasma concentrations of carotenoids and retinol for 83 women found to have breast cancer were compared with those of 113 women found to be free of breast cancer (control subjects). There were no case-control differences in dietary estimates of vitamin A intake or in plasma alpha-carotene and lycopene. However, subjects with breast cancer had lower concentrations of plasma beta-carotene than did control subjects (P = 0.02). There was no overall association between plasma retinol and breast cancer but a positive relationship was observed between retinol and breast cancer in the subgroup with low beta-carotene values. These results suggest that low plasma beta- carotene is associated with increased risk of breast cancer. Other studies will need to determine whether low carotene concentrations are a subtle effect of the disease or might be causally related to breast cancer.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Y. Cui, J. M Shikany, S. Liu, Y. Shagufta, and T. E Rohan Selected antioxidants and risk of hormone receptor-defined invasive breast cancers among postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, April 1, 2008; 87(4): 1009 - 1018. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. J. Kavanaugh, P. R. Trumbo, and K. C. Ellwood The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Evidence-Based Review for Qualified Health Claims: Tomatoes, Lycopene, and Cancer J Natl Cancer Inst, July 18, 2007; 99(14): 1074 - 1085. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. M. McDaniel, C. O'Neill, R. P. Metz, E. Tarbutton, M. Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis, J. Heimendinger, P. Wolfe, H. Thompson, and P. Schedin Whole-Food Sources of Vitamin A More Effectively Inhibit Female Rat Sexual Maturation, Mammary Gland Development, and Mammary Carcinogenesis than Retinyl Palmitate J. Nutr., June 1, 2007; 137(6): 1415 - 1422. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. D. Sesso, J. E. Buring, S. M. Zhang, E. P. Norkus, and J. M. Gaziano Dietary and Plasma Lycopene and the Risk of Breast Cancer Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., May 1, 2005; 14(5): 1074 - 1081. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. Mares-Perlman, A. E. Millen, T. L. Ficek, and S. E. Hankinson The Body of Evidence to Support a Protective Role for Lutein and Zeaxanthin in Delaying Chronic Disease. Overview J. Nutr., March 1, 2002; 132(3): 518S - 524. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Toniolo, A. L. Van Kappel, A. Akhmedkhanov, P. Ferrari, I. Kato, R. E. Shore, and E. Riboli Serum Carotenoids and Breast Cancer Am. J. Epidemiol., June 15, 2001; 153(12): 1142 - 1147. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. E. Rohan Invited Commentary: Serum Carotenoids and Breast Cancer Am. J. Epidemiol., June 15, 2001; 153(12): 1148 - 1150. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. H. Green, R. W. Snyder, S. A. Akohoue, and J. B. Green Increased Rat Mammary Tissue Vitamin A Associated with Increased Vitamin A Intake during Lactation Is Maintained after Lactation J. Nutr., May 1, 2001; 131(5): 1544 - 1547. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				P. Prakash, R. M. Russell, and N. I. Krinsky In Vitro Inhibition of Proliferation of Estrogen-Dependent and Estrogen-Independent Human Breast Cancer Cells Treated with Carotenoids or Retinoids J. Nutr., May 1, 2001; 131(5): 1574 - 1580. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				A. V. Rao and S. Agarwal Role of Antioxidant Lycopene in Cancer and Heart Disease J. Am. Coll. Nutr., October 1, 2000; 19(5): 563 - 569. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. N. Sumantran, R. Zhang, D. S. Lee, and M. S. Wicha Differential Regulation of Apoptosis in Normal versus Transformed Mammary Epithelium by Lutein and Retinoic Acid Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., March 1, 2000; 9(3): 257 - 263. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				A. J. McEligot, C. L. Rock, T. G. Shanks, S. W. Flatt, V. Newman, S. Faerber, and J. P. Pierce Comparison of Serum Carotenoid Responses between Women Consuming Vegetable Juice and Women Consuming Raw or Cooked Vegetables Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., March 1, 1999; 8(3): 227 - 231. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Giovannucci Tomatoes, Tomato-Based Products, Lycopene, and Cancer: Review of the Epidemiologic Literature J Natl Cancer Inst, February 17, 1999; 91(4): 317 - 331. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K.-J. Yeum, S.-H. Ahn, S. A. Rupp de Paiva, Y. C. Lee-Kim, N. I. Krinsky, and R. M. Russell Correlation between Carotenoid Concentrations in Serum and Normal Breast Adipose Tissue of Women with Benign Breast Tumor or Breast Cancer J. Nutr., November 1, 1998; 128(11): 1920 - 1926. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				D. J. Hunter, J. E. Manson, G. A. Colditz, M. J. Stampfer, B. Rosner, C. H. Hennekens, F. E. Speizer, and W. C. Willett A Prospective Study of the Intake of Vitamins C, E, and A and the Risk of Breast Cancer N. Engl. J. Med., July 22, 1993; 329(4): 234 - 240. [Abstract] [Full Text]