Foliumzuur, alcohol en borstkanker*

Het drinken van meer dan 3 glazen alcohol per dag geeft vrouwen een veel grotere kans op het krijgen van borstkanker. Meer foliumzuur, en wel 400 microgram of meer per dag, in de voeding reduceert dit extra risico tot een zelfde risico voor vrouwen die geen alcohol gebruiken. Bij 200 mcg per dag is dat nog een twee keer zo hoog risico.

This article discusses the result of a study that looked at folate in the diet, alcohol use, and breast cancer risk. This study found that using alcohol increased the risk of breast cancer, but only in those women who did not get enough folate in the diet. In particular, this study found that women who drank an average of 3.3 alcoholic drinks per day and who also had 200 micrograms (ug) of folate or less per day in their diet had twice (two times) the risk of breast cancer as compared to the women who had a low folate diet, but who did not drink alcohol. By comparison, women who drank an average of 3.3 alcoholic drinks per day but who had at least 400 ug of folate in the diet did not have an increased risk of breast cancer as compared to women who had 400 ug of folate in the diet but did not drink alcohol. In other words, the increased breast cancer risk associated with regular alcohol drinking disappeared if a woman had plenty of folate in the diet. We provide PRACTICAL information on what these results mean, including a discussion of what one drink looks like and whether alcohol can be a part of a healthy diet. This information will allow women who are concerned about breast cancer risk to make informed choices about using alcohol in their diet.  BMJ 38551.446470.06( Sept. 2005)