Lee Swanson Research Update

Folate may Reduce Ovarian Cancer Risk

June 2004

Folate

A diet high in folate intake may help reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, especially among women who consume alcohol, report Swedish researchers.

Why a study linking folate and ovarian cancer? Researchers stated: "Mounting evidence suggests that a low intake of the water-soluble B-vitamin folate is associated with breast and colorectal carcinogenesis, especially among alcohol drinkers. However, epidemiologic data specifically linking folate intake to ovarian cancer risk are limited."

Researchers from Stockholm's Karolinska Institute, analyzing data gathered from the Swedish Mammography Cohort, showed that women who consumed the highest amount of folate reduced their risk of ovarian cancer by 33% compared to women who consumed the least amount of the vitamin.

The Swedish Mammography Cohort involved 61,084 women, aged 38-76 years, who were cancer-free at the beginning of the cohort, when they filled out food-frequency questionnaires. At the end of the follow-up in 2003, 266 incident cases of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer were diagnosed.

An interesting sidelight to the study is that the benefits of high folate intake may be greater in women who consume more than two alcoholic beverages per week. These reduced their risk of ovarian cancer by 75% compared to women consuming lesser amounts of alcohol if they also had high levels of folate.

A team of researchers at Harvard last year showed that the increased risk of major chronic disease associated with heavy drinking was greatly diminished among women with a higher intake of folic acid.

Swedish researchers concluded: "A high dietary folate intake may play a role in reducing the risk of ovarian cancer, especially among women who consume alcohol."

Journal of the National Cancer Institute 96(5):396-402, 2004

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