Re: High Plasma Folate Levels May Increase Risk for Prostate Cancer

[Guest guest]

Hi Al:

Interesting study. But caution may be warranted here for the

following reason:

We here know that people who eat a lot are much more susceptible to

most diseases than those who eat much less.

We also know that those who eat a lot are eating more of all

nutrients, including the beneficial ones like folic acid, simply

because of the quantity of food consumed.

I wonder therefore whether a direct 'link' could be shown between the

quantity consumed of every beneficial nutrient and every disease for

which excess weight is known to be a risk factor, purely because of

the connection between excess weight and disease.

Perhaps this phenomenon was adequately controlled for in this study.

But possibly it wasn't.

Rodney.

--- In , " Al Young " <acyoung@r...>

wrote:

>

> Guess I'd better get my B12 & Folate levels down...

>

>

> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Feb 11 - Adequate folate levels are

thought to

> protect against malignant tumors, but results of a prospective

study suggest

> that folate may actually stimulate the development of prostate

cancer.

> At Umea University Hospital in Sweden, Dr. Johan Hultdin and

colleagues

> analyzed plasma folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine levels in 254

men with

> prostate cancer and 514 matched control subjects. All of the men

were

> members of the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Cohort.

>

> The researchers report in the February 20th issue of the

International

> Journal of Cancer that men in the highest quartiles of plasma

folate and

> vitamin B12 levels had odds ratios for prostate cancer risk of 1.6

and 2.63,

> respectively, compared to subjects in the lowest quartiles.

>

> Higher plasma homocysteine levels were associated with a reduced

risk of

> prostate cancer, but this finding was only of borderline

significance.

>

> When the investigators adjusted for body mass index and smoking,

the

> increase in risk was significant only for vitamin B12. In fact, the

authors

> add, the 3-fold increase in risk associated with vitamin B12 was

independent

> of age at study entry, follow-up time, and disease stage at

diagnosis.

>

> " Our results suggest that factors involved in maintaining an

adequate folate

> status are not protective against prostate cancer, and that high

plasma

> levels of folate and especially vitamin B12 may even have a

detrimental

> effect, " the researchers conclude.

>

> Int J Cancer 2005;113:819-824

[Guest guest]

Rod: this is what I often tell you about starch.

on 2/27/2005 9:23 PM, Rodney at perspect1111@... wrote:

>

> Hi Al:

>

> Interesting study. But caution may be warranted here for the

> following reason:

>

> We here know that people who eat a lot are much more susceptible to

> most diseases than those who eat much less.

>

> We also know that those who eat a lot are eating more of all

> nutrients, including the beneficial ones like folic acid, simply

> because of the quantity of food consumed.

>

> I wonder therefore whether a direct 'link' could be shown between the

> quantity consumed of every beneficial nutrient and every disease for

> which excess weight is known to be a risk factor, purely because of

> the connection between excess weight and disease.

>

> Perhaps this phenomenon was adequately controlled for in this study.

> But possibly it wasn't.

>

> Rodney.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>>

>> Guess I'd better get my B12 & Folate levels down...

>>

>>

>> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Feb 11 - Adequate folate levels are

> thought to

>> protect against malignant tumors, but results of a prospective

> study suggest

>> that folate may actually stimulate the development of prostate

> cancer.

>> At Umea University Hospital in Sweden, Dr. Johan Hultdin and

> colleagues

>> analyzed plasma folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine levels in 254

> men with

>> prostate cancer and 514 matched control subjects. All of the men

> were

>> members of the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Cohort.

>>

>> The researchers report in the February 20th issue of the

> International

>> Journal of Cancer that men in the highest quartiles of plasma

> folate and

>> vitamin B12 levels had odds ratios for prostate cancer risk of 1.6

> and 2.63,

>> respectively, compared to subjects in the lowest quartiles.

>>

>> Higher plasma homocysteine levels were associated with a reduced

> risk of

>> prostate cancer, but this finding was only of borderline

> significance.

>>

>> When the investigators adjusted for body mass index and smoking,

> the

>> increase in risk was significant only for vitamin B12. In fact, the

> authors

>> add, the 3-fold increase in risk associated with vitamin B12 was

> independent

>> of age at study entry, follow-up time, and disease stage at

> diagnosis.

>>

>> " Our results suggest that factors involved in maintaining an

> adequate folate

>> status are not protective against prostate cancer, and that high

> plasma

>> levels of folate and especially vitamin B12 may even have a

> detrimental

>> effect, " the researchers conclude.

>>

>> Int J Cancer 2005;113:819-824

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Francesca:

Thank you LOL : ^ )))

Rodney.

> >>

> >> Guess I'd better get my B12 & Folate levels down...

> >>

> >>

> >> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Feb 11 - Adequate folate levels are

> > thought to

> >> protect against malignant tumors, but results of a prospective

> > study suggest

> >> that folate may actually stimulate the development of prostate

> > cancer.

> >> At Umea University Hospital in Sweden, Dr. Johan Hultdin and

> > colleagues

> >> analyzed plasma folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine levels in

254

> > men with

> >> prostate cancer and 514 matched control subjects. All of the men

> > were

> >> members of the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Cohort.

> >>

> >> The researchers report in the February 20th issue of the

> > International

> >> Journal of Cancer that men in the highest quartiles of plasma

> > folate and

> >> vitamin B12 levels had odds ratios for prostate cancer risk of

1.6

> > and 2.63,

> >> respectively, compared to subjects in the lowest quartiles.

> >>

> >> Higher plasma homocysteine levels were associated with a reduced

> > risk of

> >> prostate cancer, but this finding was only of borderline

> > significance.

> >>

> >> When the investigators adjusted for body mass index and smoking,

> > the

> >> increase in risk was significant only for vitamin B12. In fact,

the

> > authors

> >> add, the 3-fold increase in risk associated with vitamin B12 was

> > independent

> >> of age at study entry, follow-up time, and disease stage at

> > diagnosis.

> >>

> >> " Our results suggest that factors involved in maintaining an

> > adequate folate

> >> status are not protective against prostate cancer, and that high

> > plasma

> >> levels of folate and especially vitamin B12 may even have a

> > detrimental

> >> effect, " the researchers conclude.

> >>

> >> Int J Cancer 2005;113:819-824

> >