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Research: MICHAUD and colleagues,
Listed in Issue 61
Abstract
MICHAUD and colleagues, Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA examined the relationship between lung cancer risk and intakes of a range of carotenoids, including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene and beta-cryptoxanthin.
Background
Carotenoids have antioxidant properties and may reduce lung carcinogenesis.
Methodology
Over a 10-year period, 275 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in 46,924 men ; and over a 12-year period, 519 new cases were diagnosed in 77,283 women . Food frequency questionnaires were issued at the start of the study periods and during the ensuing follow-up periods (the 10- and 12-year periods). From these questionnaires, the intakes of carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, and beta-cryptoxanthin) were derived from the reported consumptions of fruit and vegetables .
Results
In the pooled analyses of the results from the male and female cohorts, intakes of alpha-carotene and lycopene were significantly associated with a lower risk of lung cancer . Intakes of beta-carotene, lutein, and beta-cryptoxanthin were also associated with a lower risk of lung cancer but the relationships were not statistically significant. Risk of lung cancer was significantly reduced in individuals who consumed a diet high in a variety of carotenoids . Inverse associations were strongest following a 4-8 year lag between dietary assessment and date of diagnosis. In subjects who never smoked, there was a 63% lower incidence of diagnosis of lung cancer for the top, compared to the bottom quintile of alpha-carotene intake.
Conclusion
Data from two large cohorts of individuals suggest that consumption of alpha-carotene and lycopene in particular, and a range of carotenoids in general, may reduce the risk of developing lung cancer .
References
Michaud DS et al. Intake of specific carotenoids and risk of lung cancer in 2 prospective US cohorts (see comments). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 72 (4): 990-7. Oct 2000.
Comment
Surely it is untenable for so-called medical experts to continue to proclaim a lack of evidence for the role of nutrition in the prevention and possibly the treatment of a variety of cancers.
