Folate Helps Reduce Cancer Risk

If there were ever a rising star of nutrients it would have to be folate. Although identified as an essential vitamin in the 1940s, it remained relatively obscure until the early 1990s when it was linked to the prevention of neural tube defects in infants. In the 10 years since publication of the clinical trials which definitively showed that link, renewed interest in folate metabolism has generated laboratory and clinical research that suggests that adequate folate intake may also help in the prevention of degenerative nervous system diseases in adults. Those diseases include Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease as well as heart disease and stroke, and colon and breast cancer.

The link is related to the involvement of folate in the metabolism of the aminoacid, homocysteine. Low levels of blood folate lead to high levels of homocysteine and homocysteine interferes with DNA repair.

In cells that are constantly turning over, such as in the lining of the arteries and colon, failure to repair damaged DNA can lead to abnormal cell development.

This may lead to cancer in the colon or damage to artery walls and blood clots such as in stroke. In nerve cells where turnover is minimal, DNA damage may lead to cell death.

A New Zealand study found that daily intake of 600mg of folate, achieved by including fortified breakfast cereals in the diet or taking folate supplements (also called folic acid), were effective in lowering homocysteine levels.

It is only recently that inadequate folate intake has been implicated in the development of cancer. A recent review of 32 studies showed that as intake or blood levels of folate increased, the frequency of colorectal cancer decreased.

West Australia, 19 June