Lower Risk of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia in Women with High Plasma Folate and Sufficient Vitamin B12

Strategic Insights -

A recent study published in Cancer Prevention Research has found a significant association between higher plasma folate concentrations and a lower risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in premenopausal women of childbearing age. The study, led by researchers at the University of Alabama, included 376 women who tested positive for high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and were diagnosed with CIN grade 2 or higher. The researchers discovered that women with supraphysiologic concentrations of plasma folate (19.8 ng/mL) who also had sufficient plasma vitamin B12 (≥ 200.6 pg/mL) had 70% lower odds of being diagnosed with CIN 2+ compared to women with plasma folate of 7.3 ng/mL.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found a significant association between higher plasma folate concentrations and a lower risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in premenopausal women of childbearing age.
  • Women with supraphysiologic concentrations of plasma folate (19.8 ng/mL) had 70% lower odds of being diagnosed with CIN 2+ compared to women with plasma folate of 7.3 ng/mL, when vitamin B12 was sufficient.
  • The importance of vitamin B12 in the high-folate environment created by the folic acid fortification program was demonstrated in the study.
  • The researchers adjusted for age, race, education, smoking, parity, number of lifetime male sexual partners, use of contraceptives, waist circumference, physical activity, healthy eating index, and circulating concentrations of vitamins A, C, tocopherol, and total carotene in their analysis.
  • Piyathilake and colleagues published their study in Cancer Prevention Research (Lower Risk of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia in Women with High Plasma Folate and Sufficient Vitamin B12 in the Post-Folic Acid Fortification Era. Cancer Prevention Research, 2009;2(7):658-664).

Statistics:

  • 376 premenopausal women of childbearing age were included in the study.
  • 70% lower odds of being diagnosed with CIN 2+ were found in women with supraphysiologic concentrations of plasma folate (19.8 ng/mL) who also had sufficient plasma vitamin B12 (≥ 200.6 pg/mL).
  • The study analyzed the relationship between plasma folate and vitamin B12 concentrations with CIN risk, adjusting for 11 demographic and lifestyle factors.

Sources:

  • Piyathilake, C. J., et al. "Lower Risk of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia in Women with High Plasma Folate and Sufficient Vitamin B12 in the Post-Folic Acid Fortification Era." Cancer Prevention Research, vol. 2, no. 7, 2009, pp. 658-664.