Folate reduces the risk of cancer and birth defects, but it may also enhance the development of pre-cancerous and cancerous tumors, U.S. researchers said.
Omar Dary of the Academy for Educational Development, a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, and Dr. Joel Mason affiliated with Tufts University assessed the conditions under which supplementing with folic acid — man-made vitamin B9 — can be beneficial, such as in preventing neural tube defects or colorectal cancer.
Dary and Mason raise the concern that in countries where fortification of flour with folic acid is working well, additional supplementation in the form of vitamin pills can lead to excessive intakes with undesirable adverse effects.
For instance, an individual harboring a pre-cancerous or cancerous tumor may consume too much folic acid and the additional amounts may facilitate the promotion of cancer, the researchers said.
These effects of folate on the risk of developing cancer have created a global dilemma in the efforts to institute nationwide folic acid fortification programs around the world,
Mason said in a statement. The design of cogent public health policies that effectively optimize health for many while presenting no or minimal risk to others, must often occur in the absence of complete information.
The findings are published in the journal Nutrition Reviews.
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