Folate, vitamin B treatment had no effect on cancer prevention

Combined folic acid, vitamins B₆ and B₁₂ may not significantly affect the overall risk for cancer among women at high risk for cardiovascular disease, according to recent data.

Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School and the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System conducted the Women’s Antioxidant and Folic Acid Cardiovascular Study.

The study included 5,442 health professionals aged 42 years or older with cardiovascular disease or three or more coronary risk factors. Participants were randomly assigned to 2.5 mg folic acid, 50 mg vitamin B₆ and 1 mg vitamin B₁₂ daily (n=2,721) or placebo. Treatment lasted for 7.3 years from April 1998 to July 2005.

One-hundred eighty-seven participants in the treatment group and 192 in placebo developed invasive cancer. The researchers reported a similar risk for invasive cancer between the treatment and placebo groups: 101.1/10,000 person-years for active treatment vs. 104.3/10,000 person-years for placebo (HR=0.97; P=.75). Risks were also similar for breast cancer (37.8/10,000 person-years for treatment vs. 45.6/10,000 person-years for placebo; HR=0.83; P=.24) and any cancer death (24.6/10,000 person-years vs. 30.1/10,000 person-years; HR=0.82; P=.32).

“Treatment with combined folic acid, vitamin B₆ and vitamin B₁₂ provided neither beneficial nor harmful effects on overall risk of total cancer, breast cancer or deaths from cancer among women at high risk for cardiovascular disease,” the researchers wrote.

JAMA. 2008;300:2012-2021.