Protect yourself against colorectal cancer with vitamin B6
Added 13.05.2009
You may be able to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by over 50%, says a new study.
Colorectal cancer kills about half a million people worldwide. If caught early, this type of cancer can be cured; but why run the risk of developing colorectal cancer in the first place when a study is saying you may be able to reduce that risk by over 50% by increasing your intake of vitamin B6.
What is colorectal cancer?
Cancer of the colon (the first part of the large intestine) or cancer of the rectum (the last part of the large intestine) is also known as colorectal cancer. According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute it is the fourth most common form of cancer and although the exact causes are not known, several factors seem to place people more at risk for developing it. These include: unhealthy diet; inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's; colorectal polyps (growths on the inner wall of the colon or rectum); family history of colorectal cancer and smoking.Vitamin B6 may cut colorectal cancer risk by over 50%
If you have a risk factor(s) for colorectal cancer or even if you don't but want added protection, a new study says that may be possible by increasing your intake of vitamin B6 (from both dietary and supplement sources).Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that is essential for many functions including haemoglobin (a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen) and red blood cell synthesis, protein metabolism and is involved in the nervous and immune systems. In food sources it can be found in brewer's yeast, liver, cereal grains, bananas and nuts.
The Scientific Study
Background information
14,916 male participants were monitored to find out if there is a link between vitamin B6 (pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, the active form of vitamin B6) intake and risk of colorectal cancer. During the study, the plasma levels of B6 from 197 men suffering from colorectal cancer were compared to the B6 levels of healthy men.
Results
Increasing levels of vitamin B6 significantly reduces the risk of developing colorectal cancer risk by up to 58% (p=0.01) independently of other known risk factors for colorectal cancer. The higher the vitamin B6 intake, the better the protection against cancer.
Researchers believe vitamin B6 prevents you from developing colorectal cancer through its anti-inflammatory effects or by preventing abnormalities in one-carbon metabolism - chemical reactions involving compounds that contain a single carbon atom, in this case folate and vitamin B12.
References:
Lee, J.E. & all. "Prospective study of plasma vitamin B6 and risk of colorectal cancer in men." Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention." Volume 18, pp. 1197-1202. 2009.
Dr. Bo Nielsen's comments:
Vitamin B6 has again proven to be a very important vitamin. Today we know that B6 is a part of more than 120 enzymes and is a cofactor in the metabolism of amino acids and many neurotransmitters as well as the metabolism of sugar. B6 also plays an important role in regulating steroid hormones. Vitamin B6 deficiency is quite common especially in people suffering from cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and colon cancer, diabetes and many other chronic diseases. If you decide to take vitamin supplements be sure that they contain high dosages of all the B vitamins including folic acid as the effect of B6 depends on the other B vitamins being available in sufficient amounts as all these vitamins work as a "team."
