Abstract
Fermentation in the large intestine can increase absorption of ferrous iron, which is the main form in supplements, because the solubility of ferrous iron is enhanced in the mildly acidic environments caused by fermentation. We therefore hypothesized that higher supplemental iron intake would increase the risk of colon cancer among those who consume large amounts of fermentable substrates, namely, dietary fiber and resistant starch. Among 34, 708 postmenopausal women, supplemental iron was unrelated to proximal colon cancer in all women and to distal colon cancer among those consuming below the median of fermentable substrates. However, supplemental iron was positively associated with distal colon cancer among women who consumed above the median of fermentable substrates (P for interaction < 0.01); the adjusted relative risks across categories of supplemental iron (0 g/day, 1-19 g/day, 20-49 g/day, and ≥50 g/day) were 1.0, 1.24, 1.78, and 3.78 (P for trend < 0.01). This hypothesis needs confirmation in other cohort studies because, despite the significant trend, only nine cases were included in the top category of ≥50 mg supplemental iron, and this finding could have arisen by chance.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-5 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Nutrition and Cancer |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2004 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The Iowa Women’s Health Study was funded by a grant (RO1 CA39742) from the National Cancer Institute. The contents of this manuscript are solely the responsibilities of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official viewoftheNationalCancerInstitute.Dr.Leewrotethispaperwhileafellowat the University of Minnesota. Address correspondence to D. R. Jacobs, Jr., University of Minnesota, Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, 1300 South 2nd Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454. Phone: 612– 624–4196. FAX: 612–624–0315. E-mail: jacobs@epi.umn.edu.