Folate and cancer prevention: a closer look at a complex picture1–3

M Ulrich Folate is thought to play a significant role in cancer prevention. Epidemiologic evidence consistently shows inverse associations between higher intakes of dietary folate (or higher concentrations of respective biomarkers) and a reduced risk of cancer of the colon, of other parts of the gastrointestinal tract, and, more re-cently, of the pancreas. In addition, genetic polymorphisms in folate metabolism have been associated with these malignancies and, further, with those of the hematopoietic system. These ge-netic studies have also shown consistently that gene-nutrient interactions exist and that an evaluation of genetics without as-sessment of dietary intakes or supplement use related to folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism provides only an incomplete picture (1). Many experimental studies have substantiated the observa