Colon Cancer and B-Complex Vitamins

Below you will find Dr. Wald’s comments on a recent scientific study in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition that showed that an increased intake of certain B-vitamins reduces one’s risk of developing colon cancer. These comments will also appear at: http://www.liveinthenow.com. The original article can be found at: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/138/12/2372).
B-Vitamins and Colon Cancer

B-vitamins are required for hundreds of important metabolic and reparative reactions in the body. Several B-vitamins including vitamin B2 are associated with a statistically significant reduction in colon cancer risk. This article points out that folic acid is associated with a greater risk of colon cancer when included in the fortification of foods.  The government has fortified our food supply for decades with several B-vitamins including a now known to be dangerous form of folic acid.  It was determined a few years ago that form of folic acid once used in fortification of foods is a pro-carcinogen (can contribute to cancer formation). This form of folic acid is not the same as that found in green leafy foliage (hence the name folic acid). In fact, the active form of folic acid, found in some vitamin supplements containing “folic acid” has been studied to reduce colon cancer risk; this active form of folic acid is called, :-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid.

Vitamin B-2 and Colon Cancer

It is not known exactly why vitamin B2 reduces colon cancer risk, but higher dietary intake is associated with reduced formation of colon cancer cells. This may be in part due to B2’s role as a coenzyme in various reactions involving tissue repair in the gut. Also, B-2, along with its other synergistic B-vitamins, is required for methylation reactions (mentioned in the article). Methylation is a process of tissue repair. Colon cancer involves disrepair and ineffective methylation.

There are many other ways in which to reduce colon cancer risk including, but not limited to:

–                eliminating red meat

–                eliminating refined and processed sugars from the diet

–                eating more insoluble fiber

–                increasing one’s intake of omega 3 fatty acids

–                taking the appropriate B-vitamins

–                increasing one’s intake of all fruits and vegetables

–                taking a vitamin D3 supplement (getting more sun will not help)

(Dr. Wald’s nutritional pics include:  Active Folate, Vitamin D3, Multivitamin Mineral, Greens Detox, Reds Protect, Purple Longevity, Krill Oil, Fiber-Soluble/Insoluble Complex: all found at: www.blooddetective.com).

Dr. Michael Wald, DC, MD, CDN is   He can be reached at 914-242-8844 (Ext.1) or www.intmedny.com or www.blooddetective.com