Plasma folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and homocysteine and pancreatic cancer risk in four large cohorts.

Study answer

What this study found

Overall, plasma levels of folate, PLP, B12, and homocysteine were not associated with pancreatic cancer risk. Highest vs lowest quartiles: folate OR 1.20 (0.76–1.91); PLP OR 0.80 (0.51–1.25); B12 OR 0.91 (0.57–1.46); homocysteine OR 1.43 (0.90–2.28). Among nonusers of multivitamins, there is an inverse trend for folate, PLP, and B12; PLP shows a statistically significant inverse association (top vs bottom quartile OR 0.47; 95% CI 0.24–0.92), attenuated to OR 0.51 (0.25–1.02) with further adjustment. In BMI below median subgroups, stronger inverse relationships are observed for PLP (top vs…

Study & population

Four prospective cohorts (Nurses’ Health Study, Health Professionals Follow-up Study, Physicians’ Health Study, Women’s Health Initiative) were used in a nested case-control design.

Key limitation

Observational pooled design across four cohorts with varying covariate assessment; potential residual confounding; measurement error in biomarker assays; pre-fortification era folate measurements; limited power in subgroup analyses; multiple comparisons; results may not generalize to all populations.

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Original abstract