Vitamin A Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin A, including details on retinol, benefits, dosage, supplements, deficiency, information.

Plasma carotenoid, alpha-tocopherol and retinol concentrations and risk of colorectal adenomas: A case-control study in Japan.

Jiang J, Suzuki S, Xiang J, Kuriki K, Hosono A, Arakawa K, Wang J, Nagaya T, Kojima M, Katsuda N, Tokudome S

Department of Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8601, Japan.

To investigate associations between plasma carotenoids, alpha-tocopherol and retinol with colorectal adenomas risk, we measured concentrations in 224 asymptomatic colorectal adenoma cases and 230 population-based controls matched for age and sex. After adjustment for age, history of colorectal adenomas and cancers, BMI, smoking, drinking status, multivitamin consumption and plasma total cholesterol, the risk of colorectal adenomas in the highest quartile was approximately half of that of men in the lowest quartile for alpha-carotene (OR=0.38; 95% CI: 0.18-0.84; P(trend)=0.01), beta-carotene (OR=0.51; 95% CI: 0.24-1.07; P(trend)=0.03) and total carotenoids (OR=0.48; 95% CI: 0.22-1.03; P(trend)=0.04). In addition, a protective association for alpha-carotene in women was also indicated, but which did not reach statistical significance (OR=0.53; 95% CI: 0.19-1.52; P(trend)=0.35). Our findings suggest a protective effect of carotenoids against the development of colorectal adenomas.

Published 25 July 2005 in Cancer Lett, 226(2): 133-41.
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