Prevent Disease.com - Folic Acid Prevents Stomach Cancer



		Folic Acid Prevents Stomach Cancer Excerpt By Emma Hitt, PhD, Reuters Health NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - High daily doses of folic acid may lower the risk of stomach cancer, according to a study in beagles conducted by Chinese researchers. Deficiency in folic acid--a B vitamin found in oranges, grains and leafy greens--is known to increase cancer risk, but whether a high dose of folic acid can prevent cancer is unclear, Dr. Shu-Dong Xiao of the Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease in China and colleagues note in their report. The researchers gave a cancer-inducing chemical to 16 beagles for 8 months. Eight of these animals also received a high dose of folic acid--20 milligrams per day--for 15 months. During the study, the investigators examined the animals' stomach linings through a procedure called gastroscopy to see if signs of cancer had appeared. At the end of the 15-month experiment, all of the animals receiving only the cancer-inducing chemical developed stomach cancer, whereas only three of the animals in the folic acid-treated group developed stomach cancer. The researchers also found that levels of folic acid in the serum and in the lining of the stomach were ``markedly elevated'' in the animals given the vitamin. ``Our study has shown that high-dose folic acid has a marked interventional effect on gastric carcinogenesis, although in a small number of animals,'' the researchers note in the January issue of the journal Gut. ``Further investigation is needed.'' Xiao told Reuters Health that folic acid is essential for preventing cancer-causing mutations, because it is required for ''synthesis, methylation, and repair of DNA,'' he said. According to Xiao, their team used beagles because they were able to perform gastroscopy on these animals and take large enough biopsies. ``We believe that the results are probably similar to humans,'' he said. ``As fresh vegetables contain high concentration of folate (folic acid), we need to take more fresh vegetables or even oral supplements of folate in reducing the risk of gastrointestinal cancer,'' Xiao said. SOURCE: Gut 2002;50:61-64. Reference Source 89 For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".