NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – An adequate intake of the B vitamin folate may lower women's risk of developing colorectal cancer, findings from a new study suggest.
An international team of investigators found that women with the highest intakes of folate were 40% less likely than those who consumed the lowest amounts to develop colorectal cancer. Researchers suspect that folate and folic acid may protect against certain cancers by helping with DNA synthesis and repair.
In the current study, Dr. Paul Terry of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and colleagues looked at data from 295 women who had taken part in a large study of breast cancer screening in the 1980s.
The investigators found that women who reported the highest folate intakes–more than 367 micrograms per day–had the lowest risk of cancer of the colon, rectum or both. The US recommendation for daily folate intake is 400 micrograms.
The findings were published in a recent issue of the International Journal of Cancer.
While the results suggest that getting enough folate might lower colorectal cancer risk, Dr. Terry told Reuters Health that many unknown factors could have influenced the findings. This small study "is not a call for everyone to go out and start popping more folic acid," he said.
For example, it is not certain how much folate and folic acid patients were consuming since the findings were based on dietary questionnaires. Also, women in the study may have changed their diets over time, and other dietary habits, such as alcohol intake, may change the impact of folate and folic acid on cancer risk, Dr. Terry explained.
Still, he believes these findings should contribute to the overall understanding of the role of folate in reducing cancer risk.
In the meantime, Dr. Terry stressed, taking extra folic acid is far from the best way to reduce cancer risk. "The prudent thing to do is eat a balanced diet, exercise, maintain normal body weight and don't smoke," he advised.
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