Like this article?
Get your free daily medical news from Physician's First Watch.
High-Dose Folic Acid plus Vitamin B12 Supplements Linked to Cancer
Folic acid supplementation is associated with increased risk for cancer, according to a Norwegian study in JAMA. However, an editorial gives reassurance on the implications for the U.S.
Researchers examined cancer rates and mortality in some 6800 patients with ischemic heart disease who were randomized to receive various combinations of folic acid (0.8 mg/day), vitamin B12 (0.4 mg), or vitamin B6 (40 mg) — or placebo — for 3 years in an attempt to lower cardiovascular risks.
After a total follow-up of 6.5 years, risks for cancer diagnoses, cancer mortality, and all-cause mortality were higher in patients taking folic acid plus vitamin B12 than in those not taking the supplements (relative risk range, 1.18–1.38).
Editorialists note that cancer rates have dropped since the U.S. began fortifying grains with folic acid to prevent neural tube defects. In addition, the doses of folic acid used in the trial were about five times higher than the usual U.S. intake.
LINK(S):
JAMA article (Free abstract; full text requires subscription)
JAMA editorial (Subscription required)
Journal Watch General Medicine summary (Your Journal Watch subscription required)
Published in Physician's First Watch November 18, 2009
Your Remark:
To ensure that your Reader Remark is not formatted as one long paragraph, precede new paragraphs with either a blank line or an indentation.