Serum Betaine but Not Choline is Inversely Associated with Breast Cancer Risk: a Case-control Study in China

Overview

Journal Eur J Nutr

Specialty Nutritional Sciences

Date 2016 Feb 22

PMID 26897124

Citations 5

Authors

Yu-Feng Du

Fang-Yu Lin

Wei-Qing Long

Wei-Ping Luo

Bo Yan

Ming Xu

Xiong-Fei Mo

Cai-Xia Zhang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: Choline and betaine are important for DNA methylation and synthesis, and may affect tumor carcinogenesis. To our knowledge, no previous study has examined the association between serum choline and betaine and breast cancer risk. This study aimed to examine whether serum choline and betaine were inversely associated with breast cancer risk among Chinese women.

Methods: This hospital-based case-control study consecutively recruited 510 breast cancer cases and 518 frequency-matched (age and residence) controls, and blood samples were available for 500 cases and 500 controls. Serum choline and betaine were assayed by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Multiple unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: An inverse association with breast cancer risk was observed for serum betaine (fourth vs first quartile adjusted OR 0.68, 95 % CI 0.47-0.97) and for the ratio of serum betaine to choline (fourth vs first quartile adjusted OR 0.70, 95 % CI 0.48-1.00), but not for serum choline (fourth vs first quartile adjusted OR 0.80, 95 % CI 0.56-1.15). Serum betaine was inversely associated with breast cancer risk in subjects with below-median dietary folate intake (fourth vs first quartile adjusted OR 0.48, 95 % CI 0.30-0.77).

Conclusions: This study suggested that serum betaine but not choline was inversely associated with breast cancer risk. This result needed to be further confirmed by the prospective studies.

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