Oncology: Deficiency of this vitamin is associated with a “fivefold” increase in cancer risk

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Cancer is a complex disease with many moving parts, which helps to explain the scale of the problem faced by those trying to eradicate it. However, progress is being made in understanding the links between risks. One study found that a common vitamin deficiency, which affects one in ten older Britons, is linked to a “five-fold” increase in the risk of stomach cancer.

Both biology and lifestyle can drive the development of cancer cells. Figuring out the risk factors at play is an ongoing challenge for researchers in the field. One of the lesser-known, but nonetheless worrying associations is vitamin B12 deficiency.

Vitamin B12 has several important functions in the body, including supporting a healthy nervous system.

B12 deficiency is more common in the elderly, affecting about one in 10 people aged 75 and over and one in 20 people aged 65 to 74. A number of studies over the years have found a link between low B12 deficiency and cancer.

A new study has found a link between low B12 levels and stomach cancer.

Serum concentrations of several nutrients ( vitamin B12, folic acid, vitamin B6, riboflavin and homocysteine) in a study of male smokers.

The aim was to determine whether certain vitamin supplements prevented lung and other cancers in a cohort of 29 133 male smokers in southwestern Finland.

“Lower baseline serum vitamin B12 concentrations were associated with a 5.8-fold increased risk of gastric cancer. This association persisted in participants who developed cancer more than 10 years after blood sampling, and after restricting the analysis to participants with clinically normal vitamin B12 levels.”

Low serum B12 was associated with a “fivefold increasing” the risk of stomach cancer.