Plasma Levels and the Risk of Gastric Cancer

TOKYO—People with very low plasma levels of alpha-carotene and beta-carotene are at a higher risk of gastric cancer, according to a study done at Japan's National Cancer Center (Carcinogenesis. Mar. 13, 2008. ePub ahead of print) (DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgn072). The impact of carotenoids, retinol and tocopherol on gastric cancer development in a large nested case-control study among Japanese adults with known Helicobacter pylori infection status was investigated. Researchers followed 36,745 subjects aged 40 to 69 in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study—who responded to the baseline questionnaire and provided blood samples during 1990-1995—until 2004. Plasma levels of carotenoids in 511 gastric cancer cases and 511 matched controls were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. Plasma level of beta-carotene was inversely associated with the risk of gastric cancer; inverse associations were evident in men for alpha- and beta-carotene, but not in women, who had relatively higher plasma levels compared to men.