Dietary folate and folate vitamers and the risk of prostate cancer in The Netherlands Cohort Study

Purpose

The aim of the present study was to examine the association between intake of folate, and specific folate vitamers, and the risk of advanced and total prostate cancer.

Methods

The association between dietary folate and prostate cancer risk was evaluated in The Netherlands Cohort Study (NLCS) on diet and cancer, conducted among 58,279 men ages 55–69?years at baseline. Information on diet was collected at baseline by means of food frequency questionnaires. Incident cases were identified by record linkage with regional cancer registries and the Dutch National Database of Pathology Reports. After 17.3?years of follow-up, 3,669 incident prostate cancer cases, of which 1,290 advanced cases, and 2,336 male subcohort members were available for case-cohort analyses.

Results

Dietary folate was not associated with prostate cancer risk, nor with the risk of advanced prostate cancer, among men in the NLCS cohort (HR?=?1.05, 95?% CI: 0.87–1.26 and HR?=?1.09, 95?% CI: 0.88–1.35, respectively, for the highest quintile of folate intake vs. the lowest quintile). Specific folate vitamers were neither associated with the risk of prostate cancer or risk of advanced prostate cancer.

Conclusions

Our results do not support an association of dietary folate or specific folate vitamers on the risk of prostate cancer, or advanced prostate cancer.