Lipotropes, immunocompetence, and cancer.

Lipotropes (choline, methionine, folic acid, and vitamin B12) are required for normal metabolic function at the cellular and subcellular levels. Deficiencies of any or all of them to a point of influence on methyl group metabolism has a profound effect on synthesis of cellular macromolecules and on cell proliferation. Lipotrope deficiency results in a diminished immunocompetence and an increased susceptibility to a number of types of cancer in experimental animals. A challenge now being addressed is to identify the linkage between lipotropes, the immune system, and cancer and to determine mechanisms which can be useful in cancer prevention.