Dietary vitamin A deficiencies and stomach cancer

Am J Epidemiol. 1985 Jan;121(1):65-70. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113984.

Abstract

The hypothesis of vitamin A intake deficiencies serving as an antecedent factor in the development of stomach cancer was assessed employing a case-control design. Interviews of proxy informants for 111 cases and a pair-matched control group were conducted using a food frequency questionnaire from which an averaged vitamin A intake index was calculated. Stomach cancer cases showed a significantly higher proportion with lowered total vitamin A intake levels (odds ratio = 1.71) which remained constant across sex and socioeconomic status groupings. These results demonstrated a consistency with previous related studies vis-à-vis the strength and specificity of the putative association, a moderate (but statistically nonsignificant) dose-response curve, proper temporal association, and biologic plausibility.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Analysis of Variance
  • Arteriosclerosis / etiology
  • Death Certificates
  • Diet
  • Epidemiologic Methods
  • Ethnicity
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Pennsylvania
  • Sex Factors
  • Stomach Neoplasms / epidemiology
  • Stomach Neoplasms / etiology*
  • Vitamin A Deficiency / complications*