Relationship Between Serum Tumor-related Markers and Dietary Intakes in Korean Healthy Adults

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum tumor markers and dietary intakes in healthy adults to address a nutrition guide for cancer prevention. We analyzed tumor-related markers, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and cancer antigen 125 (CA125) in serum and daily food and nutrient intakes using a 24-hour recall method in 23 healthy men and 32 healthy women. The average age was 50.7 years for men and 48.9 years for women. There were no significant differences in biochemical tumor markers and food intake between the men and women except energy intake. A significantly positive correlation was found between serum AFP, a biochemical marker of liver cancer, and serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and/or glutamic pyruvate transaminase (GPT) in both men and women. CEA had a significant and negative correlation with energy intake for men and food intake in women. PSA, a biomarker of prostate cancer, was significantly and positively correlated with the intake of animal iron and cholesterol in men. CA125, a biomarker of gynecologic cancers, was significantly and positively correlated with meat intake in women. As this study revealed the significant relationship between biochemical tumor markers and dietary factors, further studies are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanism of this relationship.