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Alcohol is a risk factor for breast cancer - but folate may have a role in reducing the risk.
10 07 2006
Folic acid - also called folate - is one of the B vitamins and there's evidence that it's a cancer preventer, for example in the bowel.
The effects of folic acid in breast cancer is controversial and some studies have suggested that it only has a role in counteracting the toxic effects of alcohol on the breast.
A Melbourne-based study of nearly 17,500 women aged between 40 and 70 tried to measure the influence of folic acid and alcohol by themselves and together on these women's risk of developing breast cancer over ten years.
Not many drank much but there was a trend to increased breast cancer risk the more alcohol they consumed. Folate - which was actually only measured at the beginning of the study - didn't affect the risk one way or other.
But when the two were analysed together it turned out that women who drank a lot but had a good folate intake, did not experience an alcohol induced breast cancer risk. This wasn't a definitive study but does support the idea that drinking women should nibble on green leafy vegetables rather than beer nuts.
Title: British Medical Journal
Author: Baglietto L et al. Does dietary folate intake modify effect of alcohol consumption on breast cancer risk? Prospective cohort study.