Folic acid does not elevate formaldehyde in mice and humans
Folic acid—an essential vitamin added to flour and cereals and prescribed at high doses for cancer patients and people with blood disorders—does not elevate toxic formaldehyde in the body, according to a new study of mice and human cancer patients who consumed high doses.
Folic acid, a synthetic form of folate commonly added to food products and used in high doses for medical purposes, does not raise levels of the toxic chemical formaldehyde in either mice or humans, according to a recent study. Researchers from Cornell University and the Cayuga Cancer Center investigated this claim by subjecting mice genetically modified to have heightened sensitivity to formaldehyde to diets either naturally rich in folate or supplemented with high doses of folic acid.
Despite the former group experiencing elevated levels of a precursor to folate, no increase in formaldehyde or DNA damage was detected. Similarly, in a cohort of human cancer patients receiving high-dose folic acid, increased folate levels were observed without a corresponding rise in formaldehyde-DNA adducts, indicating that the vitamin does not pose a formaldehyde-related health risk even at higher doses.
This finding reassures patients, including those with conditions like Fanconi anemia, that high-dose folic acid supplementation is safe regarding formaldehyde exposure.
Written by urgent.news from Medical Xpress's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
