Tier 4 — mechanistic

Dietary choline and betaine intakes and risk of total and lethal prostate cancer in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Peijin Han, Aurelian Bidulescu, John R Barber, Steven H Zeisel, Corinne E Joshu, Anna E Prizment, Mara Z Vitolins, Elizabeth A Platz
Cancer causes & control : CCC 2019 30(4):343-354

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 30825046
PubMed Central
PMC6553878
DOI
10.1007/s10552-019-01148-4
Funding
Indexed grant support: P30 CA006973 — NCI NIH HHS — United States; HHSN268201700001I, HHSN268201700003I, HHSN268201700004I, HHSN268201700002I — NIH HHS — United States; HHSN268201700001I — NHLBI NIH HHS — United States; HHSN268201700004I — NHLBI NIH HHS — United States; P30 DK056350 — NIDDK NIH HHS — United States; U01 CA164975 — NCI NIH HHS — United States; HHSN268201700003I — NHLBI NIH HHS — United States; P30 DK056350 — NCI NIH HHS — United States; HHSN268201700004C — NHLBI NIH HHS — United States; HHSN268201700005C — NHLBI NIH HHS — United States; HHSN268201700001C — NHLBI NIH HHS — United States; HHSN268201700002C — NHLBI NIH HHS — United States; HHSN268201700003C — NHLBI NIH HHS — United States; HHSN268201700002I — NHLBI NIH HHS — United States; HHSN268201700005I — NHLBI NIH HHS — United States. The indexed list may not contain the complete funding declaration.
Competing interests
A competing-interest declaration was not available in the indexed record or accessible disclosure metadata.

Study snapshot

DesignProspective cohort
ModelHuman participants
Sample6528 men; 811 total and 95 lethal prostate-cancer cases
InterventionHabitual dietary choline and/or betaine intake; no randomized TMG treatment
DurationBaseline 1987-1989 through 2012
EndpointsProstate-cancer incidence; Lethal disease

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2019, this source examined human observational and biomarker research. Design: Prospective cohort. Sample/model: 6528 men; 811 total and 95 lethal prostate-cancer cases. The exposure or intervention was Habitual dietary choline and/or betaine intake; no randomized TMG treatment. Follow-up or treatment period: Baseline 1987-1989 through 2012.

Betaine intake was inversely associated with lethal but not total prostate cancer; findings did not show better survival after diagnosis.

Observational exposure analysis: residual confounding and reverse causation remain possible. Associations do not establish that betaine supplementation causes the same outcome.

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Key findings

  • Betaine intake was inversely associated with lethal but not total prostate cancer; findings did not show better survival after diagnosis.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Prostate-cancer incidence; Lethal disease.
  • The exposure was observed rather than assigned as an isolated supplement treatment.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Observational exposure analysis: residual confounding and reverse causation remain possible. Associations do not establish that betaine supplementation causes the same outcome.
  • Confounding, dietary patterns, illness, medication use and reverse causation can influence an association. Blood or dietary concentrations do not identify the effect of starting a capsule.
  • Source basis: Accessible full-text extract plus indexed bibliographic data. Missing method details, funding information or participant denominators are not inferred.

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Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

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Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology