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Vitamin B6 shown to reduce lung cancer risk

Category: General Health

Recent research into the health benefits of vitamin B6 has shown that it may lower the risk for lung disease, and individuals with many common risk factors for the disease, such as smoking habits, could benefit from blood testing for vitamin B levels.

The study examined the medical records of 2,669 patients who enrolled in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Data from the research revealed that individuals with the highest levels of vitamin B6 were as much as 50 percent less likely to develop lung cancer compared to those with low levels of the vitamin.

Researchers said in their report that the findings are important because they suggest that simple dietary changes could greatly decrease the number of people who die from lung cancer, which has become very widespread.

"Lung cancer remains the most common cause of cancer death in the world today and is likely to remain so for the near future," the authors wrote. "These nutrients have a potentially important role in inhibiting cancer development, and offer the possibility of modifying cancer risk through dietary changes."