Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2004 Nov;80(5):1123-8.
doi: 10.1093/ajcn/80.5.1123.

Will mandatory folic acid fortification prevent or promote cancer?

Young-In Kim  1
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Will mandatory folic acid fortification prevent or promote cancer?

Young-In Kim. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Nov.
Free article

Abstract

An overwhelming body of evidence for a protective effect of periconceptional folic acid supplementation against neural tube defects (NTDs) led to mandatory folic acid fortification in the United States. The effectiveness of folic acid fortification in improving folate status has already been shown to be quite striking, with a dramatic increase in blood measurements of folate in the United States. Preliminary reports also suggest a significant reduction ( approximately 15-50%) in NTDs in the United States. The success of folic acid fortification in improving folate status and in reducing NTD rates is truly a public health triumph and provides a paradigm of collaboration between science and public health policy. Although folic acid is generally regarded as safe, there continues to be concern that folic acid fortification may have adverse effects in subpopulation groups not originally targeted for fortification. In this regard, an emerging body of evidence suggests that folic acid supplementation may enhance the development and progression of already existing, undiagnosed premalignant and malignant lesions. Over the past few years, the US population has been exposed to a significant increase in folate intake, for which essentially no data on safety exist. The potential cancer-promoting effect of folic acid supplementation needs to be considered in carefully monitoring the long-term effect of folic acid fortification on the vast majority of the US population, who are not at risk of NTDs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types