The Linxian trials: mortality rates by vitamin-mineral intervention group

Two randomized nutrition intervention trials were conducted in Linxian, an area of north central China with some of the world's highest rates of esophageal and stomach cancer and a population with a chronically low intake of several nutrients. One trial used a factorial design that allowed us to assess the effects in nearly 30,000 participants of daily supplementation with four nutrient combinations: retinol and zinc; riboflavin and niacin; vitamin C and molybdenum; and beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, and selenium. The second trial provided daily multiple vitamin-mineral supplementation or placebo in 3318 persons with esophageal dysplasia, a precursor to esophageal cancer. After supplements were given for 5.25 y in the general population trial, small but significant reductions in total [relative risk (RR) = 0.91] and cancer (RR = 0.87) mortality were observed in subjects receiving beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, and selenium but not the other nutrients. The reductions were greater in women than men, and in those under compared with over the age of 55; however, differences by sex or age were not significant. After multiple vitamin and mineral supplements were given for 6 y in the smaller dysplasia trial, reductions in total (RR = 0.93) and cancer (RR = 0.96) mortality were observed but these were not significant. The largest reductions were for cerebrovascular disease mortality, but the effects differed by sex: a significant reduction was observed in men (RR = 0.45) but not women (RR = 0.90). Restoring adequate intake of certain nutrients may help to lower the risk of cancer and other diseases in this high-risk population.