Paternal Dietary Folate, B6 and B12 Intake, and the Risk of Childhood Brain Tumors

Abstract

It is biologically plausible that a paternal preconception diet low in nutrients related to DNA integrity could affect sperm DNA and subsequently risk of cancer in the offspring. The aim of this analysis was to investigate whether paternal preconception dietary folate, B6, or B12 intake was associated with the risk of childhood brain tumors (CBT) in an Australian case-control study. Cases <15 years of age were recruited from 10 Australian pediatric oncology centers between 2005 and 2010, and controls from random-digit dialing, frequency-matched to cases on age, sex, and state of residence. Paternal dietary information was obtained by food-frequency questionnaires. Nutrient values were energy adjusted and divided into tertiles for analysis by unconditional logistic regression. In fathers with relevant data (237 cases and 629 controls), no association with dietary folate and B6 and risk of CBT was seen; high B12 intake was associated with an increased risk of CBT (odds ratio highest vs. lowest tertile: 1.74, 95% confidence interval: 1.14, 2.66) without an increasing trend. These results do not support the hypothesis that paternal dietary folate intake influences the risk of CBT. The increased OR observed between dietary B12 intake and risk of CBT is without any certain explanation.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Aus-CBT consortium conducted the study and the Telethon Kids Institute (formally Telethon Institute for Child Health Research; TICHR), University of Western Australia, was the coordinating center. Bruce Armstrong (Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney), Elizabeth Milne, Nicholas de Klerk, Carol Bower, Peter Dallas (TICHR), Frank van Bockxmeer (Royal Perth Hospital, University of WA), Rodney Scott and John Attia (University of Newcastle), Lin Fritschi (WA Institute for Medical Research), Lesley Ashton, Michelle Haber and Murray Norris (Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW), Margaret Miller (Edith Cowan University) and Judith Thompson (WA Cancer Registry) were the research investigators. The authors acknowledge the contribution made by our clinical co-investigators who recruited and cared for study patients at each participating hospital: Nicholas Gottardo (Princess Margaret Hospital, TICHR); John Heath and Elizabeth Smibert (Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne); Peter Downie (Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne); Tim Hassall and Ross Pinkerton (Royal Children's Hospital Brisbane); Maria Kirby (Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide); Stewart Kellie and Luciano dalla Pozza (Westmead Hospital); Frank Alvaro (John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle); Richard Cohn (Sydney Children's Hospital) and John Daubenton (Royal Hobart Hospital). The authors also acknowledge the Clinical Research Associates at each hospital, the study coordinators: Jackie Mansour, Somer Dawson, Tamika Heiden, and Helen Bailey, and Peter Cosgrove for programming the estimation of dietary intake from the food frequency questionnaires.

FUNDING

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded Aus-ALL (Grant number: 254539) and Aus-CBT (Grant number: 404089). Elizabeth Milne and Carol Bower were supported by NHMRC Fellowships.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher's website.