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Cited by 108Folate and B Vitamins ResearchNutritional Studies and DietColorectal Cancer Screening and Detection

Dietary choline and betaine and the risk of distal colorectal adenoma in women

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Cho, E., Willett, W. C., Colditz, G. A., Fuchs, C. S., Wu, K., Chan, A. T., Zeisel, S. H., Giovannucci, E. L.·2007·JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute
DOI 10.1093/jnci/djm082PMC PMC2441932
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Choline and betaine are involved in methyl-group metabolism as methyl-group donors; thus, like folate, another methyl-group donor, they may be associated with a reduced risk of colorectal adenomas. No epidemiologic study has examined the association of intake of these nutrients and colorectal adenoma risk. METHODS: We investigated the relationship between intakes of choline and betaine and risk of colorectal adenoma in US women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study. Dietary intake was measured by food-frequency questionnaires, and individual intakes of choline and betaine were calculated by multiplying the frequency of consumption of each food item by its choline and betaine content and summing the nutrient contributions of all foods. Logistic regression models were used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (as approximations for relative risks) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of colorectal adenoma. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: Among 39246 women who were initially free of cancer or polyps and who had at least one endoscopy from 1984 through 2002, 2408 adenoma cases were documented. Increasing choline intake was associated with an elevated risk of colorectal adenoma; the multivariable relative risks (95% CIs) for increasing quintiles of intake, relative to the lowest quintile, were 1.03 (0.90 to 1.18), 1.01 (0.88 to 1.16), 1.23 (1.07 to 1.41), and 1.45 (1.27 to 1.67; P(trend)<.001). Betaine intake had a nonlinear inverse association with colorectal adenoma; the multivariable relative risks (95% CIs) for increasing quintiles of intake were 0.94 (0.83 to 1.07), 0.85 (0.75 to 0.97), 0.86 (0.75 to 0.98), and 0.90 (95% CI = 0.78 to 1.04; P(trend) = .09). Among individual sources of choline, choline from phosphatidylcholine and from sphingomyelin were each positively related to adenoma risk. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings do not support an inverse association between choline intake and risk of colorectal adenoma. The positive association between choline intake and colorectal adenoma that we observed could represent effects of other components in the foods from which choline was derived and should be investigated further.

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  • Some but not all prospective studies associated higher dietary and plasma levels of choline with increased risk of colorectal neoplasia.

    “Some,147, 148 but not all,149–151 prospective studies have associated higher dietary and plasma levels of choline with increased risk of colorectal neoplasia.”

    From Influence of the Gut Microbiome, Diet, and Environment on Risk of Colorectal Cancer (2020) · cites this paper as [148]

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Zeisel SH , Mar M-H , Howe JM , Holden JM . Concentrations of choline- containing compounds and betaine in common foods [erratum in J Nutr 2003;133:2918 -9] . J Nutr 2003 ; 133 : 1302 -7 .

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Authors
Cho, E., Willett, W. C., Colditz, G. A., Fuchs, C. S., Wu, K., Chan, A. T., Zeisel, S. H., & Giovannucci, E. L.
Affiliations
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
ORCID
Venue
JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2007-08-08
Volume
99
Issue
16
Pages
1224-1231
ISSN
  • 0027-8874 (ISSN-L)
  • 1460-2105
DOI
10.1093/jnci/djm082
PMC
PMC2441932
OpenAlex
W2108210899
Cited by
108
References
40
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 10
FWCI
5.71
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Cancer Institute (CA-87969, R03CA108341, P01CA087969, CA 108341)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R01DK055865, DK-55865, DK56350, P30DK056350, P30DK040561)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Rheumatology › Folate and B Vitamins Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Colorectal Cancer Screening and Detection
Keywords
choline, betaine, colorectal adenoma, methyl group metabolism, dietary intake, women, phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, colorectal cancer risk, Nurses' Health Study
MeSH terms
Adenoma, Adult, Betaine, Choline, Diet, Female, Humans, Middle Aged, Risk, United States, Colorectal Neoplasms

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