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Circulating vitamin C and digestive system cancers: Mendelian randomization study.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Larsson, Susanna C 
Mason, Amy M 
Vithayathil, Mathew 
Carter, Paul 
Kar, Siddhartha 

Abstract

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Vitamin C is an antioxidant with a potential role in the prevention of digestive system cancers, but there is yet no consensus whether vitamin C has a causal role in these cancers. The aim of this study was to utilize Mendelian randomization to decipher the potential causal associations of vitamin C with risk of digestive system cancers. METHODS: Ten genetic variants previously found to be significantly associated with circulating vitamin C were used as instrumental variables. Effect size estimates for the genetic associations of the vitamin C-associated genetic variants with six major malignancies of digestive system were obtained from the FinnGen (N = 309 154) and UK Biobank (N = 367 542) studies. Results from the two studies were combined using meta-analysis. RESULTS: Genetically predicted higher circulating vitamin C showed a suggestive association with lower risk of small intestine and colorectal cancer after accounting for multiple testing. The odds ratio per 1 standard deviation increment in circulating vitamin C was 0.55 (95% confidence interval 0.32-0.94; P = 0.029) for small intestine cancer and 0.84 (95% confidence interval 0.73-0.96; P = 0.013) for colorectal cancer. There was a suggestive association between genetically predicted higher circulating vitamin C with lower risk of liver cancer in FinnGen but no association in the meta-analysis (odds ratio 0.69; 95% CI 0.36-1.32; P = 0.265). Genetically predicted circulating vitamin C was not associated with cancers of the esophagus, stomach, or pancreas. CONCLUSION: This Mendelian randomization study indicates that vitamin C might play a role in the prevention of small intestine and colorectal cancer.

Description

Keywords

Ascorbic acid, Cancer, Digestive system, Mendelian randomization, Nutrients, Vitamin C, Ascorbic Acid, Colorectal Neoplasms, Digestive System Neoplasms, Humans, Mendelian Randomization Analysis, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Risk Factors, Vitamins

Journal Title

Clin Nutr

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0261-5614
1532-1983

Volume Title

Publisher

Elsevier BV
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (204623/Z/16/Z)
British Heart Foundation (None)
British Heart Foundation (RG/18/13/33946)
Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00002/7)
National Institute for Health and Care Research (IS-BRC-1215-20014)