Posted on 06/11/2006 9:39:08 PM PDT by Moonman62
Folic acid supplements may prevent cancer progression and promote regression of disease, according to a new study. Published in the July 15, 2006 issue of CANCER (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/cancer-newsroom), a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the small study found that 31 of 43 patients with the precancerous laryngeal lesion called leucoplakia demonstrated 50 percent or greater reduction in the lesion size after six months of taking folate supplements. In 12 of 31 responders, there was no evidence of the original lesion. Folate levels in the patients' blood also increased significantly from baseline while homocysteine levels decreased significantly. This study provides data to support the hypothesis that folate insufficiency is a risk factor for cancer progression.
Folate deficiency is the most common vitamin deficiency in the United States. Folate is a naturally occurring B vitamin (B-9) found abundantly in fresh vegetables and fruits. Folic acid is its more stable synthetic form found in dietary supplements and fortified foods. At the biochemical level, folate is incorporated into coenzymes that are essential in facilitating a variety of reactions in nucleic acid and amino acids metabolism. Some of which are critical to healthy life, such as DNA synthesis, DNA repair, and converting homocysteine to methionine. The latter is particularly important because excess homocysteine is linked to chronic health problems, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Animal and human studies have increasingly demonstrated associations between folate deficiency, serum homocysteine elevations, and a variety of cancers. Some studies have suggested folate supplementation or at least a high folate dietary intake may protect against some cancers. This body of evidence suggests folate to be an effective chemopreventive drug. Other chemopreventive drugs are being tested, and while the retinoids demonstrate the most promise, they are highly toxic. Giovanni Almadori, M.D. of the Institute of Otolaryngology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Policlinico A. Gemelli in Rome, Italy and colleagues investigated the efficacy of folic acid dietary supplementation to treat precancerous lesion and prevent cancer.
The investigators enrolled 43 patients with untreated laryngeal leucoplakia and treated them with folic acid (5mg three times a day) and evaluated the progression of leucoplakia every 30 days for six months.
Over six months of treatment, 12 patients (28 percent) had complete resolution of their leucoplakia lesions; 19 patients (44 percent) had reduction of 50 percent or more in the size of their lesions and 12 patients (28 percent) had no response. Mean folate levels increased and mean homocysteine levels decreased significantly. There were no moderate or severe adverse events reported.
Comparison to another promising chemopreventive drug regimen that includes a retinoid, "our complete response rate is lower than the one reported in a smaller population," the authors write. Nevertheless, folate "is characterized by a lower grade of toxicity," and there was no progression of disease.
These results suggest, according to the researchers, "folate supplementation, alone or in combination with other chemopreventive drugs, could effectively reduce the risk of progression in an already genetically altered mucosa, especially in patients with hypofolatemia."
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Article: "Pilot Phase IIA Study for Evaluation of the Efficacy of Folic Acid in the Treatment of Laryngeal Leucoplakia," Giovanni Almadori, Francesco Bussu, Pierluigi Navarra, Jacopo Galli, Gaetano Paludetti, Bruno Giardina, Maurizio Maurizi, CANCER; Published Online: June 12, 2006 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.22003); Print Issue Date: July 15, 2006.
Folic acid is not a "drug."
Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin in the B-complex group.
ping
ping
Very interesting and promising.
More evidence that vitamins are good for you.
Why not? I think folic acid is being called a drug because of the way it's being used and its effect.
It is not a drug.
It is a member of the B-Complex group.
FOLIC ACID
Alternative names
Vitamin B-9; Folate; Diet - folic acid; Pteroylglutamic acid
Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin in the B-complex group.
Folic acid works along with vitamin B-12 and vitamin C to help the body digest and utilize proteins and to synthesize new proteins when they are needed. It is necessary for the production of red blood cells and for the synthesis of DNA (which controls heredity and is used to guide the cell in its daily activities).
Folic acid also helps with tissue growth and cell function. In addition, it helps to increase appetite when needed and stimulates the formation of digestive acids.
Synthetic folic acid supplements may be used in the treatment of disorders associated with folic acid deficiency and may also be part of the recommended treatment for certain menstrual problems and leg ulcers.
Food Sources
Beans and legumes
Citrus fruits and juices
Wheat bran and other whole grains
Dark green leafy vegetables
Liver
Folic acid deficiency may cause poor growth, graying hair, inflammation of the tongue (glossitis), mouth ulcers, peptic ulcer, and diarrhea. It may also lead to certain types of anemias. Toxicity from excessive folic acid intake does not normally occur, as folic acid is water soluble and regularly excreted by the body.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002408.htm
Yes, it's a vitamin. But it's also a chemical that has the same or better effect as rarer and more expensive drugs. What would a rose be by any other name?
The medical industry wants to control it.
So they try to call it a drug.
It is not.
In this case it is a vitamin being used as a drug, specifically for the prevention or cure of a disease, which fits the definition of a drug.
My doctor told me that selenium is good to take also, to help prevent cancer.
BUMP!
Vitamin supplements for poor diets are supposed to reflect an amount meeting physiologic requirements.
When something is given in pharmacologic doses to treat a precancerous lesion, in this case leukoplakia, this vitamin is now a drug because of the dose.
I'm not a pharmacist, but I had to study pharmacology.
I think the FDA classifies this as a food don't they ?
I don't know. I think it may depend on the dose.
That should be obvious.
Folic acid is found in
beans and legumes
citrus fruits and juices
wheat bran and other whole grains
dark green leafy vegetables
liver
The last I heard none of the above are "drugs."
The medical Industry wants to take over anything that is admitted to help a disease.
The word "drug" in the headline is a red flag telling me they are in the process of attempting that.
I read a similar article years ago where they tried the same thing with niacin, another member of the B-Complex group which causes the blood to circulate faster and is good for people past a certain age.
That article on niacin tried to call it a "drug," which it is not.
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I believe you are correct. My vitamin bottle lists 400 mcg as the RDA for Folic Acid. In the study, they were giving 5000 mcg three times a day. At that mega dose level, I can see why they would want to monitor the person taking that amount.
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