Taking Folic Acid & Vitamin B12 Supplements Increases Cancer Risks, Study Says

Taking folic acid and vitamin B12 supplements in large doses for long periods of time may significantly increase the chances of developing various cancers, according to a new study from Norwegian researchers.

Using folic acid pills for longer than three years can feed cancerous tumors that were too small to detect otherwise and increase the rate of lung cancer risk by 25 percent compared to the general population not taking the supplements, said a study from Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, according to a WebMD news report.

Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps the body produce healthy new cells. Many women take folic acid supplements during pregnancy to guard against spina bifida and other birth defects. The new study findings may prompt a re-evaluation of that common practice.

Study of Folic Acid Finds Cancer Link

The researchers analyzed data from two large trials based on more than 6,800 heart disease patients who took folic acid and vitamin B12 supplements in an effort to lower levels of homocysteine, an amino acid which is linked to heart attacks and strokes.

After the studies did not show a heart benefit from taking the supplements, the research team continued to follow patients for more than three years to determine whether taking the supplements for so long resulted in greater cancer risks.

They found patients taking folic acid and vitamin B12 supplements had a higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer, of dying from cancer, and of dying from any other cause. Lung cancer was the most commonly seen form of the disease in the study participants, the authors said.

Previous studies have suggested a link between folic acid and cancer risks, including prostate cancer and colon cancer. The Norwegian study team found no specific link between colon cancer risk and folic acid.

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