Increased intakes of folic acid from fortified foods and dietary supplements are not linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer, says a new study from the American Cancer Society. Analysis of data from almost 100,000 men and women indicated that “there is no evidence that dietary fortification or supplementation with this vitamin increases colorectal cancer risk.” The study, published in Gastroenterology, should go some way to allaying fears that increased intakes of folic acid – the synthetic form of folate – are linked to colorectal cancer risk.
A total of 51 countries now have some degree of mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid. Concerns that folic acid may increase the risk of colorectal cancer have surfaced over recent years, with some experts noting that folic acid, and not folate, may promote the formation of cancers under select circumstances where a person may already have a pre-cancerous or cancerous tumor. This has led to some finger pointing at the synthetic form of the vitamin. On passage through the intestinal wall, folic acid is converted to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, the naturally circulating form of folate. However, some studies have suggested that oral doses of folic acid in high doses may overwhelm this conversion pathway, leading to measurable levels of folic acid in the blood.
In this very large population study, researchers found that neither high intakes of natural folate nor folic acid were associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. In addition, total folates (from all sources) were associated with a 19 percent reduction in colorectal cancer risk.
Bonnie - while I am not surprised with these findings, there are still many of us who do not break down folic acid into absorbable folate, and thus, do not take advantage of its benenfits. This is why I always recommend supplementing with a total folate complex, which includes each form of the folate cycle.
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