26 An increased risk of occupational disability due to cancer was likewise reported for the highest γ-GT category only. Experimental evidence has elucidated the ability of cellular γ-GT to modulate crucial redox-sensitive functions, such as cellular proliferative/apoptotic balance as well as antioxidant/antitoxic defenses, and its role in tumor progression, invasion, and drug resistance has repeatedly been suggested.27–29 γ-GT is constitutively expressed in several organs and is often significantly Sirtuin inhibitor increased in malignant or premalignant lesions, where it is considered a factor
conferring growth and survival advantages for the rapidly dividing neoplastic cells.30 However, there remains some uncertainty on the association of γ-GT with cancer as a health outcome. Although two selleck chemical epidemiologic investigations failed to detect an association between γ-GT and cancer mortality in middle-aged men,4, 31 a strong significant relationship between γ-GT and risk of cancer incidence was found in a recent analysis from an Austrian prospective study.32 The most novel finding of the present study was the strong association of
γ-GT levels with disability pension due to musculoskeletal disorders, which was seen among cases due to osteoarthritis as well as dorsopathy even at levels in the normal range of γ-GT. Few studies have focused on the association of γ-GT with musculoskeletal disorders. A study of middle-aged men found that men with somatic back pain experienced more stress at work and had higher serum levels of γ-GT, possibly due to a higher intake of alcohol and/or painkillers compared with men who had nonsomatic pain.33 However, associations of γ-GT with disability pension due to musculoskeletal disorders persisted in our cohort even after control for alcohol consumption. A number of limitations require careful discussion in the interpretation of our study. Although we controlled for major potential confounders including BMI, smoking, and alcohol consumption there remains a potential for residual confounding. This particularly applies to potential confounding
by smoking and alcohol consumption, which tend to be imperfectly reported. Information regarding socioeconomic factors as well as dietary factors that are known to affect disability risk34, 35 were not available. However, the MCE strong association of γ-GT with disability pension did not materially change after adjustment for type of occupation, which might be used as a proxy measure for socioeconomic status. Furthermore, our study was restricted to a male occupational cohort, and our results may not necessarily be generalizable to other populations. A further potential limitation of the cause-specific disability analysis is the fact that only information regarding the primary cause of disability was available. No information regarding auxiliary causes of disability pensioning was provided.