B6, methionine linked to lower lung cancer risk

Optimal serum levels of vitamin B6 and methionine were associated with a lower risk for lung cancer, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. "B vitamins and factors related to 1-carbon metabolism help to maintain DNA integrity and regulate gene expression and may affect cancer risk," writes Mattias Johansson, PhD, and colleagues from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. "We therefore conducted a comprehensive investigation of B vitamins and methionine status based on serum samples from the [EPIC] cohort study, a large population cohort of more than 500,000 adults conducted in 10 European countries."

Among never, former, and current male smokers within the entire EPIC cohort, elevated serum levels of B6 and methionine were associated with a lower risk for lung cancer after accounting for smoking. These findings did not appear to be caused by confounding by smoking because similar and consistent decreases in risk were seen in never, former, and current smokers. For former and current smokers only, risk for lung cancer was also lower with higher levels of serum folate.