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

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.

Reader Comments Read all comments (13)

Add Your Thoughts

Comment Name State Select One AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY International Email

Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image.

Incorrect please try again

Enter the words above: Enter the numbers you hear:

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.