High-Dose Folic Acid Prevents Gastric Cancer in Animals NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Dec 26 - Daily, high-dose folic acid supplementation can prevent the development of experimentally induced gastric cancer in dogs, according to researchers in China. The findings, described in the January issue of Gut, suggest that high-dose folic acid may have a role in the chemoprevention of gastric cancers in humans, as well. Dr. S. D. Xiao, of Shanghai Second Medical University Renji Hospital, and colleagues at other centers tested the protective effects of high-dose folic acid on gastric carcinogenesis in 16 beagles. They fed all beagles N-ethyl-N-nitrosoguanidine (ENNG), a gastric cancer-inducing chemical, 75 mg per day for 8 months, and treated half of the animals with 20 mg folic acid per day for 15 months, beginning with the first day of ENNG treatment. All animals that did not receive folic acid developed gastric cancer by the end of the experiment, compared with only three of eight animals that did receive high-dose folic acid (p<0.05). "It is also noteworthy that all beagles in the folic acid treated group developed dysplastic lesions during follow up," the authors write. "Therefore, it is possible that high dose folic acid might postpone the development of gastric cancer." Further studies are needed to better understand the nature of the chemoprotective effects of folic acid in gastric carcinogenesis in animals, and the implications of these effects for humans, according to the researchers. Gut 2002;50:61-64. Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encyclopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.