Reduced breast cancer risk and mortality

The authors investigated the associations of dietary intakes of choline and betaine and breast cancer risk and mortality in the population-based Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project.

- there was an indication that a higher intake of free choline was associated with reduced risk of breast cancer
- higher intakes of betaine, phosphocholine, and free choline were associated with reduced all-cause as well as breast cancer-specific mortality in a dose-dependent fashion
- the betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase gene (BHMT) rs3733890 polymorphism was associated with reduced breast cancer-specific mortality

The study suggests that high intake of betaine and choline may be a promising strategy to prevent the development of breast cancer and to reduce its mortality.

Xu et al (2009). "High intakes of choline and betaine reduce breast cancer mortality in a population-based study". FASEB J., epub July 27.