UPDATES FROM THE AACR ANNUAL MEETING
Folate supplementation is a difficult issue. Given before colorectal cancer begins to develop when colon tissues are normal, it seems to reduce risk for cancer. However, once precancerous changes in polyps are underway, folic acid increases the development of colorectal cancer.
To complicate the issue, folic acid is added to food in the United States to prevent birth defects and is included in many multivitamin preparations. So Americans may be exposed to high levels of folate.
Research with rats and their pups reported by Karen Sie at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research explored both folate supplements during pregnancy and folate supplemention in the offspring.
When rats were fed folate supplements during their pregnancy, their pups had a reduced rate of colon cancer. Pups whose mothers did not receive supplements had almost three times the risk of getting colorectal cancer.
However, rat pups whose mothers did not receive supplements and who were fed folate-enriched chow themselves developed more colorectal cancers and larger cancers.
Karen Sie, from the University of Toronto, who conducted the experiments said,
The potential long-term benefits and adverse effects of the drastically increased folate status in North American populations needs to be closely monitored. It is critical to determine safe and effective doses and timing of folic acid intervention for colorectal cancer prevention.
Video appears courtesy of MedPage Today.
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