Folic Acid May Protect Against Colon Cancer

Folic Acid May Protect Against Colon Cancer

BELFAST, United Kingdom--Folate supplementation seems todecrease colonic mucosal cell proliferation in those at high risk for coloncancer, according to a study in the August issue of Gut (51, 2: 195-9,2002) (http://gut.bmjjournals.com).Folate deficiency has been implicated in colon cancer through epidemiologicalstudies, as well as animal and human cancer models, according to researchersfrom the Queen's University of Belfast. For this reason, they sought todetermine whether folate supplementation would benefit patients at high risk ofcolon cancer.

Eleven patients with recurring colon polyps, a marker for colon cancer risk,were randomized to receive either 2 mg/d of folic acid or placebo for threemonths. Rectal biopsies were performed at four, 12 and 18 weeks, at which pointthe samples were incubated and enriched. Over the duration of the supplementperiod, researchers did not note differences in the control group. However,after 12 weeks of folate treatment, the cells derived from subjects in thetreatment group exhibited a significant drop in the number of proliferatingcells in the uppermost regions of the crypt.