Nitrate Intake Does Not Influence Bladder Cancer Risk: The Netherlands Cohort Study
2006

Nitrate Intake and Bladder Cancer Risk

Sample size: 120852 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Maurice P. Zeegers, Roel F.M. Selen, Jos C.S. Kleinjans, R. Alexandra Goldbohm, Piet A. van den Brandt

Primary Institution: Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Birmingham

Hypothesis

Does nitrate exposure from food or drinking water influence bladder cancer risk?

Conclusion

The study found no significant association between nitrate exposure and bladder cancer risk.

Supporting Evidence

  • The study included 120,852 participants aged 55-69 years.
  • 889 cases of bladder cancer were analyzed after 9.3 years of follow-up.
  • Nitrate exposure from food and drinking water showed no significant increase in bladder cancer risk.

Takeaway

Eating vegetables and drinking water with nitrate doesn't seem to cause bladder cancer.

Methodology

The study evaluated nitrate exposure and bladder cancer risk in a cohort of 120,852 participants using food frequency questionnaires and water company data.

Potential Biases

Potential misclassification of exposure due to dietary assessment methods.

Limitations

The study could not control for bladder infections and relied on self-reported dietary data.

Participant Demographics

Participants were men and women aged 55-69 years at entry, with a higher proportion of men among bladder cancer cases.

Statistical Information

Confidence Interval

95% CI, 0.81–1.42

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1289/ehp.9098

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