The interaction between magnesium intake, the genetic variant INSR rs1799817 and colorectal cancer risk in a Korean population: a case-control study

Magnesium may have a significant impact on the development of cancer. However, the relationship between magnesium intake and the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) is unclear. Therefore, we evaluated the association between magnesium intake and the risk of CRC, and we investigated how the insulin receptor (INSR) rs1799817 variant impacts this relationship. Data from 1,420 CRC patients and 2,840 controls from the Korean National Cancer Centre were analysed. A higher intake of magnesium was associated with a reduced risk of CRC in the total population (odds ratio (OR) = 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.52–0.81). We found that G + carriers of INSR rs1799817 with higher magnesium intake had a significantly lower risk of CRC (p _{for interaction} = 0.003). Our findings indicated that high magnesium intake could be associated with a decreased risk of CRC, and this association could be modified by the INSR rs1799817 variant.