RESEARCH - Iron and calcium may up risk of lung cancer

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Iron and calcium may up risk of lung cancer

12/2/2005

By: Reuters Health

NEW YORK (Reuters Health), Dec 2 - Small amounts of iron and calcium in the

diet or in the form of supplements may play an important role in the

development of lung cancer, especially among smokers, a study suggests

Iron, zinc, and calcium are micronutrients that participate in the

metabolism of damaging forms of oxygen, known as reactive oxygen species.

Intake of these micronutrients has been associated with higher risks of

certain cancers, such as colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers.

" Some recent literature has associated these micronutrients with disease

including cancer, but nobody had looked into it in the lung, " Dr. C.

Christiani from Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School

told Reuters Health.

Christiani and his colleagues looked for associations between dietary iron,

zinc, and calcium intake and the risk of lung cancer in 923 patients with

lung cancer and 1125 healthy controls. To assess micronutrient intake, they

used a 126-item food-frequency questionnaire that took into account

potential risk factors such as smoking history.

When the team analyzed the three micronutrients separately, iron and calcium

were associated with a higher risk of lung cancer but zinc was associated

with a lower risk of lung cancer. However, the associations were stronger

when all three micronutrients were analyzed in the same model.

" The associations hold true, no matter the source of the micronutrients, "

Christiani said. " Iron and calcium in particular, both dietary and in

supplements, are associated with increased risk of lung cancer. "

The investigators also found differences related to smoking history, with

the effects being particularly strong in current smokers, and less so in

former smokers.

" The message here for smokers and for former smokers is, don't take large

amounts of supplements, particularly those with iron or calcium, unless you

have a medical indication for them, " warned Christiani. " People tend to take

lots of vitamins and minerals thinking that they are good for them. We don't

recommend large dietary shifts until these results are confirmed in further

studies. "

Last Updated: 2005-12-01 10:26:01 -0400 (Reuters Health)

SOURCE: Epidemiology, November 2005.

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Mayo Clinic in Rochester

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