Folic acid and DNA?

Folic acid taken before and during pregnancy can prevent some brain and spinal cord birth defects, such as spina bifida. That much is well known.



But new research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, has found that daily supplements of 200 micrograms of folic acid seem to improve the stability of DNA in adults - and the team thinks this could reduce the risk of various cancers.



Earlier work has suggested that people with a folate deficiency are more likely to develop precancerous lesions that, in some cases, will develop into tumours.



Meanwhile, a recent report from the American Cancer Society concluded that folic acid could lessen the severity of prostate cancer. Folate, the natural form of the B vitamin, is found in green, leafy vegetables, eggs and beans.



Beans are not strictly part of the Paleolithic way of life, so I would only eat them if I weren't taking a 5mg supplement of folate per day.



Steve