Folic acid may reduce rare childhood cancers, study says

Folic acid may reduce the risk of two rare cancers in children, a new study says.

Although the causal link between folic acid and the cancers have not been proven, there is growing evidence that enriching foods with folic acid has helped decrease the risk.

Reuters reported that the new evidence at the least offers reassurance that folic acid did not increase the rates of certain cancers, which some suspected it did.

Prior research has linked an increase in folic acid intake to colon cancer.

"Our study is the largest to date to show that folic acid fortification may also lower the incidence of certain types of childhood cancer in the United States," said co-author Kimberly J. Johnson, reported Medical Daily.

The two types of cancer are Wilms' tumor, a kidney cancer, and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET), a type of brain cancer, reported Medical Daily.

The study looked at government data of cancer rates in children under five between 1986 and 2008.

It excluded those born between 1996 and 1998 in order to control for the advent of government-mandated folic acid fortification in cereal products.

The researchers attempted to see the effects before and after the implementation.

According to MyHealthNewsDaily, there were 3,790 cancer cases in children before fortification, and 3,299 cases after fortification.

The greatest decrease in those cancers were from children aged one and younger.

Government-mandated folic acid enrichment was created to stop neural tube defects, including spina bifida – a move many say worked.

Folic acid is also called vitamin B9.

The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.