Thinking Harder

Do Folic Acid, B Vitamins Prevent Cancer—or Cause It?

By Ben Harder

Posted: November 5, 2008

The latest study of people taking folic acid and vitamin B supplements is either disappointing or reassuring, depending on how you look at it. Researchers set out hoping to show that these vitamins could prevent breast cancer—and perhaps other cancers—in women with less-than-ideal health. But they seem to have struck out, HealthDay reports.

On the other hand, recent research had raised the frightening possibility that folic acid accelerates the growth of malignant tumors, a subject I've explored in some detail. Experts theorize that folic acid, which is a crucial nutrient for pregnant women, might inhibit the development of new malignancies while paradoxically fostering the growth of cells that have already turned bad.

In that sense, the new study is reassuring. Researchers led by Shumin Zhang of Harvard Medical School found no sign of increased cancer risk in women who took folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 for the duration of the trial, which followed each woman for up to 7.3 years. They reported their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Thinking Harder

This blog is the public workshop of U.S. News writer and editor Ben Harder. In articles published in the magazine, he has covered a range of sciences, including medicine, human behavior, prehistory, and evolution. Here, he can explore those and other scientific fields more fully and more informally than is possible in print. He'll share whatever seems noteworthy or potentially useful, and he invites readers to do the same.

WTOP Audio
On Feb. 24, 2008, Ben discussed the link between artificial light and cancer on WTOP radio. Listen to the interview at WTOP News. He again talked about light pollution on WTOP on March 22, exploring its environmental effects.

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