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Calcium: magnesium intake ratio and colorectal carcinogenesis, results from the prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian cancer screening trial.

About this Publication
Title
Calcium: magnesium intake ratio and colorectal carcinogenesis, results from the prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian cancer screening trial.
Pubmed ID
31543516 (View this publication on the PubMed website)
Digital Object Identifier
Publication
Br J Cancer. 2019 Oct; Volume 121 (Issue 9): Pages 796-804
Authors
Zhao J, Giri A, Zhu X, Shrubsole MJ, Jiang Y, Guo X, Ness R, Seidner DL, Giovannucci E, Edwards TL, Dai Q
Affiliations
  • Division of Epidemiology, Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
  • Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
  • Department of Medicine, Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA.
  • Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Center for Human Nutrition, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
  • Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
  • Division of Epidemiology, Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA. qi.dai@vanderbilt.edu.
Abstract

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the associations between calcium and various stages of colorectal carcinogenesis and whether these associations are modified by the calcium to magnesium (Ca:Mg) ratio.

METHODS: We tested our hypotheses in the prostate lung, colorectal and ovarian cancer screening trial.

RESULTS: Calcium intake did not show a dose-response association with incident adenoma of any size/stage (P-trend = 0.17), but followed an inverse trend when restricted to synchronous/advanced adenoma cases (P-trend = 0.05). This inverse trend was mainly in participants with Ca:Mg ratios between 1.7 and 2.5 (P-trend = 0.05). No significant associations were observed for metachronous adenoma. Calcium intake was inversely associated with CRC (P-trend = 0.03); the association was primarily present for distal CRC (P-trend = 0.01). The inverse association between calcium and distal CRC was further modified by the Ca:Mg ratio (P-interaction < 0.01); significant dose-response associations were found only in participants with a Ca:Mg ratio between 1.7 and 2.5 (P-trend = 0.04). No associations for calcium were found in the Ca:Mg ratio above 2.5 or below 1.7.

CONCLUSION: Higher calcium intake may be related to reduced risks of incident advanced and/or synchronous adenoma and incident distal CRC among subjects with Ca:Mg intake ratios between 1.7 and 2.5.

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