B Vitamin Confers DNA Protection

Previous studies link a higher vitamin B status with a lower risk for cancer.  To elucidate the exact mechanism by which this may occur, Keisuke Kuwahara, from the National Center for Global Health and Medicine (Japan), and colleagues studied 500 subjects (293 men and 207 women), ages 21 to 66 years, employed at two municipal offices in Japan. Observing that pyridoxal – one of three forms of vitamin B6 – associated with lower urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a marker of oxidative DNA damage, in men, the study authors write that: “The results suggest that vitamin B6 plays a role against oxidative DNA damage.”