Colorectal cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-related death in the U.S. However, a new study from the American Cancer Society suggests that simply adding a little more folate to a person's diet may help them limit their risk of this potentially deadly disease.
Folate is in the family of B vitamins and is mostly found in various types of green leafy vegetables. It plays an important role in regulating the growth of cells and the replication of DNA. For these reasons, the researchers said it makes sense that higher levels of the nutrient would be associated with a reduced risk of cancer.
For the study, the team reviewed the medical records of nearly 100,000 individuals. Information was collected between 1999 and 2007. The results showed that participants who had the highest levels of folate in their daily diets were the least likely to develop colon cancer.
The researchers said that their findings should help settle a debate about the role that folate should play in cancer prevention. Some evidence has suggested that extremely high levels of the nutrient may actually increase cancer risk. However, the present study found that this was not the case.
Folate could provide individuals with a natural way to reduce their cancer risk, something that Ilchi Lee says is important to health and personal development.
