New research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that lung cancer may have a formidable foe in both Vitamin B6 and the amino acid methionine.

Dr. Paul Brennan, PhD, and his colleagues from the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France found the association present in non-smokers, those who had quit, and current smokers.

Study Details

Brennan and his colleagues found their participants through the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). They focused on 899 lung cancer patients and compared them to a healthy control group of 1,770 participants after checking their blood levels for methionine and B6.

They found that those with higher levels of B6 had a 56% reduced risk of lung cancer, while those with elevated levels of methionine had a 48% reduced risk of developing the disease. Although more research needs to be done to determine if the link is causal or not, prior studies into B6 were limited in that the focus was entirely on smokers.

He also added that the benefit could possibly come from the fact that a deficiency in B6 could elevate the risk of genetic mutations and DNA damage.

More B6 News

This isn't the first time that B6 has been associated with a reduction in cancer risk. In 2005, Dr. Joseph Mercola published a report on a study of 67,000 women between the ages of 40-75 that linked the vitamin to a reduction in colorectal cancer risk (mercola.com).

The women were asked specifically about their diets, family history of colorectal cancer and their intake of supplements. The research showed that women with higher levels of B6 were 70% less likely to develop the disease; the study also showed, interestingly, that a moderate intake of alcohol was also associated with reduced risk.

B6 is found in beans, fish, poultry, grains and some fruits and vegetables. Methionine is found in animal protein and in some nuts and seeds.