Association between Levels of Trimethylamine N-Oxide and Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (7th February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Khodabakhshi, Adeleh; Monfared, Vahid; Arabpour, Zahra; Vahid, Farhad; Hasani, Motahareh
• Is Part Of: Nutrition and cancer. Volume 75:Number 2(2023)
• Page Start: 402
• Page End: 414
• Publication Date: 2023-02-07
• Subjects: Cancer -- Periodicals; Nutrition -- Periodicals; Cancer; Nutrition; Periodicals; 616.9940654
• DOI: 10.1080/01635581.2022.2129080
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0163-5581

Abstract

Abstract: Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world. Reports on the effect of Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TAMO), a small amine oxide generated by gut microbial metabolism of choline, betaine, and carnitine, on cancer are inconsistent. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis summarize the effect of TAMO on cancer incidence. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. Data were pooled using the random-effects method and were expressed as weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The pooled results of 16 studies, including 5930 participants, showed that the association between TMAO levels and cancer incidence is insignificant (Odds Ratio: 0.97, 95% CI: (0.64, 1.46), P -value = 0.871). Subgroup analysis showed that urinary TMAO levels were negatively associated with cancer incidence; in contrast, a direct and positive association was observed between serum TMAO levels and cancer incidence. However, "gender" and the "TMAO measuring method" were the potential sources of discrepancies. Meta-regression analysis did not reveal any significant association between duration of studies, age, female ratio, subjects-control, and subjects-case. The present study demonstrates that serum TAMO levels were insignificantly associated with cancer incidence.