Men with earlier-stage prostate cancer may have better survival chances if they get a little more than the recommended amount of vitamin B6 every day.
Men with earlier-stage prostate cancer may have better survival chances if they get a little more than the recommended amount of vitamin B6 every day.
Vitamin B6 is found in a range of foods, including beans, potatoes, bananas, meat, chicken, peanut butter and certain fish. It serves a variety of functions in the body - one being its role, together with other B vitamins, in DNA synthesis and repair. Cancer arises from the uncontrolled growth of genetically abnormal cells, which means that the B vitamins could affect the development or spread of certain cancers.
To assess whether dietary intake of vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, folate, riboflavin or methionine is associated with prostate cancer survival, researchers studied 525 Swedish men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1989 and 1994. The participants completed a self-administered food-frequency questionnaire. The recommended vitamin B6 intake for men age 50 and younger is 1.3 mg per day, while older men are encouraged to take 1.7 mg. The participants were divided into two groups - men in one group averaged 2.2 to 2.9 milligrams of vitamin B6 per day, while those in another group got 1.3 to 1.9 milligrams daily.
Record linkages to the Swedish Death Registry enabled all cases to be followed for up to 20 years after diagnosis, and the cause of death was found via medical record review. During follow-up, 218 men (42%) died of prostate cancer and 257 (49%) of other causes. It was found that the one-quarter participants with the highest vitamin B-6 intakes had 30 percent less risk than those with the lowest intakes to die of the disease. However, vitamin B-6 intake was not associated with improved prostate cancer survival among advanced-stage cases. Folate, riboflavin, vitamin B-12, and methionine intakes were not associated with improved prostate cancer survival.
The protective effect of B6 appeared confined to men whose tumours had not yet spread beyond the prostate at the time of diagnosis. When the researchers considered only these men, they found that those who got the most B6 had only 5 percent risk of dying as their counterparts with the lowest intakes of the vitamin.
The above results offer support for dietary factors in long-term prostate cancer survival. However, the findings need to be confirmed by larger studies before recommendations can be made to the general public or to prostate cancer patients.
Vitamin B6 is found in a range of foods, including beans, potatoes, bananas, meat, chicken, peanut butter and certain fish. It serves a variety of functions in the body - one being its role, together with other B vitamins, in DNA synthesis and repair. Cancer arises from the uncontrolled growth of genetically abnormal cells, which means that the B vitamins could affect the development or spread of certain cancers.
To assess whether dietary intake of vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, folate, riboflavin or methionine is associated with prostate cancer survival, researchers studied 525 Swedish men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1989 and 1994. The participants completed a self-administered food-frequency questionnaire. The recommended vitamin B6 intake for men age 50 and younger is 1.3 mg per day, while older men are encouraged to take 1.7 mg. The participants were divided into two groups - men in one group averaged 2.2 to 2.9 milligrams of vitamin B6 per day, while those in another group got 1.3 to 1.9 milligrams daily.
Record linkages to the Swedish Death Registry enabled all cases to be followed for up to 20 years after diagnosis, and the cause of death was found via medical record review. During follow-up, 218 men (42%) died of prostate cancer and 257 (49%) of other causes. It was found that the one-quarter participants with the highest vitamin B-6 intakes had 30 percent less risk than those with the lowest intakes to die of the disease. However, vitamin B-6 intake was not associated with improved prostate cancer survival among advanced-stage cases. Folate, riboflavin, vitamin B-12, and methionine intakes were not associated with improved prostate cancer survival.
The protective effect of B6 appeared confined to men whose tumours had not yet spread beyond the prostate at the time of diagnosis. When the researchers considered only these men, they found that those who got the most B6 had only 5 percent risk of dying as their counterparts with the lowest intakes of the vitamin.
The above results offer support for dietary factors in long-term prostate cancer survival. However, the findings need to be confirmed by larger studies before recommendations can be made to the general public or to prostate cancer patients.
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