Calcium Intake Contributed by Whole Foods and Gastric Cancer in Viet Nam: A Case‑Control Study

Abstract

Background

Recent studies revealed the potential tumor-suppressive effects of calcium. We aimed to investigate the association between dietary calcium intake contributed by whole foods and gastric cancer.

Methods

466 gastric cancer cases and 1531 controls were extracted from the completed case-control studies in hospitals in Hanoi from 2017 to 2019. A validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to obtain data via face-to-face interviews with the trained interviewer. Calcium intake was calculated based on the food frequency intake per year. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated.

Results

The study participants consumed less than 50% of 700 mg/day compared to the recommended calcium intake. With increasing calcium intake, we found a reduction in gastric cancer in both genders, men and women (adjusted OR and 95%CI, 5^th vs. 1^st quintile: 0.50 (0.36, 0.70), p_trend 0.000; 0.62 (0.42, 0.92), p_trend 0.019; and 0.30 (0.16, 0.57), p_trend 0.000, respectively). The inverse association remained in the subgroups of never-smokers and those with positive H. pylori infection.

Conclusion

We observed substantial benefits of calcium intake from whole foods against gastric cancer in the Vietnamese population with a low nutritious status.

Acknowledgments

We sincerely thank the hard work and dedication of the workers at Bach Mai Hospital, Viet Duc Hospital, National Cancer Hospital, and Hanoi Medical University Hospital for organizing and recruiting the study participants. We would like to express our gratitude to the patients who participated in the study and shared details regarding their dietary and lifestyle habits. We greatly appreciate your revising the manuscript by Tietie Fusi Masina. Ngoan Tran Le was also affiliated to the International University of Health and Welfare, Japan at the time of the study.

Authors’ Contributions

Conceptualization: Ngoan Tran Le

Formal analysis: Thinh Gia Nguyen, Dung Thuy Thi Truong

Methodology: Ngoan Tran Le, Thinh Gia Nguyen, Dung Thuy Thi Truong, Shunya Ikeda, Phuoc Hong Le, and Tuyen Cat Kim Vo.

Supervision: Ngoan Tran Le, Shunya Ikeda

Validation: Ngoan Tran Le, Shunya Ikeda

Writing – original draft: Thinh Gia Nguyen, Dung Thuy Thi Truong

Writing – review & editing: Ngoan Tran Le, Shunya Ikeda

Consent for Publication

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

The data generated in this study are available upon request from the corresponding author.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The Grant Agreement No.: 18/FIRST/1a/HMU, Under the Project: "Fostering Innovation through Research, Science, and Technology” during 2017–2019; Viet Nam Ministry of Science and Technology.