Choline and betaine intake is inversely associated with breast cancer risk: a two-stage case-control study in China
Open accessAbstract
Few epidemiological studies have evaluated the association of choline and betaine intake with breast cancer risk and the results remain inconsistent. This study aimed to assess the relationship between dietary intake of choline and betaine and the risk of breast cancer among Chinese women. A two-stage case-control study was conducted, with 807 cases and 807 age- (5-year interval) and residence (rural/urban)-matched controls. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary intake by face-to-face interview. An unconditional logistic regression model was used to calculate multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). A significant inverse association was found between dietary choline and betaine consumption and breast cancer risk. The adjusted OR for the highest quartile of intake compared with the lowest were 0.40 (95% CI = 0.28-0.57, P(trend) < 0.001) for total choline intake, 0.58 (95% CI = 0.42-0.80, P(trend) < 0.001) for betaine intake and 0.38 (0.27-0.53, P(trend) < 0.001) for choline plus betaine intake, respectively. Intakes of individual choline compouds, choline from glycerophosphocholine, phosphocholine, phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and free choline were also negatively associated with breast cancer risk. The inverse association between choline intake and breast cancer risk was primarily confined to participants with low folate level (<242 g/day), with an OR (95% CI) of 0.46 (0.23-0.91) comparing the fourth quartile with the first quartile of choline intake (P(trend) = 0.005). The present study suggests that consumption of choline and betaine is inversely associated with the risk of breast cancer. The association of choline intake with breast cancer risk is probably modified by folate intake.
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A diet high in choline and betaine is associated with decreased breast and lung cancer risk.
“In contrast, a diet high in choline and betaine was associated with a decreased breast and lung cancer risk (Xu et al., 2009a; Ying et al., 2013; Zhang et al., 2013).”
From The emerging hallmarks of cancer metabolism (2016) · cites this paper as Zhang et al., 2013
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Cited by
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The emerging hallmarks of cancer metabolism
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- Authors
- Zhang, C., Pan, M., Li, B., Wang, L., Mo, X., Chen, Y., Lin, F., & Ho, S. C.
- Affiliations
- Sun Yat-sen University (CN)
- Department of Clinical Nutrition Guangdong General Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences) Guangzhou China
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University (CN)
- Chinese University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Corresponding author
- Zhang, Cai‐Xia
- Ho, Suzanne C.
- Venue
- Cancer Science
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2012-12-26
- Volume
- 104
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 250-258
- ISSN
- 1347-9032 (ISSN-L)
- 1349-7006
- PMC
- PMC7657205
- OpenAlex
- W1968955250
- Cited by
- 75
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 3
- FWCI
- 5.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Cancer Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rheumatology › Folate and B Vitamins Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Risks and Factors
- Keywords
- choline, betaine, breast cancer risk, dietary intake, folic acid, choline-containing compounds, phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, Chinese women
- MeSH terms
- Betaine, Breast Neoplasms, China, Choline, Diet, Eating, Female, Folic Acid, Humans, Middle Aged, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Logistic Models, Odds Ratio, Case-Control Studies
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