Serum carotenoids and breast cancer

The consumption of vegetables and fruit may protect against many types of c ancer, but research evidence is not compelling for breast cancer. Carotenoi ds are pigments that are present in most plants and have known antioxidant properties. Blood concentrations of carotenoids have been proposed as integ rated biochemical markers of vegetable, fruit, and synthetic supplements co nsumed. In a case-control study (270 cases, 270 controls) nested within a c ohort in New York during 1985-1994, the carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin, bet a -cryptoxanthin, lycopene, a-carotene, and beta -carotene were measured in archived serum samples using liquid chromatography. There was an evident i ncrease in the risk of breast cancer for decreasing beta -carotene, lutein, alpha -carotene, and beta -cryptoxanthin. The risk of breast cancer approx imately doubled among subjects with blood levels of beta -carotene at the l owest quartile, as compared with those at the highest quartile (odds ratio = 2.21; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29, 3.79). The risk associated with the other carotenoids was similar, varying between 2.08 (95% CI: 1.11, 3.9 0) for lutein and 1.68 (95% CI: 0.99, 2.86) for beta -cryptoxanthin, The od ds ratio for the lower quartile of total carotenoids was 2.31 (95% CI: 1.35 , 3.96), These observations offer evidence that a low intake of carotenoids , through poor diet and/or lack of vitamin supplementation, may be associat ed with increased risk of breast cancer and may have public health relevanc e for people with markedly low intakes.