Foliumzuur tijdens zwangerschap tegen jeugdkanker.*
Uit eerdere studies is al gebleken dat extra foliumzuur voor de
zwangerschap de kans op neuralebuisdefecten zoals een open ruggetje en de kans op bijv. een hazenlip drastisch kan verminderen. In Canada is nu onderzoek verricht naar foliumzuur en de kans op het krijgen van jeugdkankers. Dit onderzoek is uitgevoerd omdat het opgevallen was, dat sinds de verplichte invoering in Canada in 1998 van de verrijking van meel met foliumzuur, het aantal jeugdkankers minder was geworden. En wat bleek dat de kinderen van vrouwen die tijdens de zwangerschap extra foliumzuur inname, 39% minder kans hadden op leukemie, 27% minder kans op een hersentumor en zelfs 47% minder kans op een Neuroblastoom.
SickKids researchers find prenatal multivitamins reduces risk of childhood cancers
Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have found that taking prenatal multivitamins fortified with folic acid can reduce the risk of three common childhood cancers: leukemia, brain tumours and neuroblastoma. This research was published in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics.
“Our research indicates that a large proportion of several early childhood cancers can be prevented by taking a prenatal multivitamin before and during pregnancy,” said Dr. Gideon Koren, the study’s principal investigator, director of the Motherisk Program at SickKids, a senior scientist in the SickKids Research Institute and a professor of Paediatrics, Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Medicine and Medical Genetics at the University of Toronto. “This affordable approach could contribute to a significant reduction in the number of childhood cancer cases diagnosed each year, which has huge implications for society at large.”
The study examined the findings of seven articles that met the inclusion criteria and found that prenatal supplementation of multivitamins containing folic acid is associated with a 47 per cent protective effect for neuroblastoma, 39 per cent for leukemia and 27 per cent protective effect for brain tumours. While other studies have investigated the effect of prenatal vitamins on rates of paediatric tumours, this is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of prenatal multivitamin use before and during early pregnancy and its protective effect for several paediatric cancers.
Leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, accounts for 25 to 35 per cent of new paediatric cases each year. Brain and spinal tumours, the second most common form of cancer, accounts for 17 per cent of new paediatric cancer cases each year, and neuroblastoma, the most prevalent solid tumour that occurs outside of the brain in children under the age of five, affects one in every 6,000 to 7,000 children in North America.
Additional research is required to determine which components of a prenatal multivitamin provide protective effect for paediatric cancers and whether any of the protective effects can be attributed to folic acid. A previous study by Motherisk found that prenatal multivitamins fortified with folic acid can reduce the risk of a wide range of serious congenital defects. Women who are considering pregnancy are generally advised to supplement with folic acid but findings of these studies suggest that supplementation with a multivitamin containing folic acid may be a preferred method.
Other members of the research team included Ingrid Goh, Tom Einarson, and Eneka Bollano, all from SickKids.
This research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Research Leadership for Better Pharmacotherapy during Pregnancy and Lactation. The research also received funding from Duchesnay Inc., which did not have a prenatal vitamin on the market during the time covered by this study.
The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), affiliated with the University of Toronto, is Canada’s most research-intensive hospital and the largest centre dedicated to improving children’s health in the country. As innovators in child health, SickKids improves the health of children by integrating care, research and teaching. Our mission is to provide the best in complex and specialized care by creating scientific and clinical advancements, sharing our knowledge and expertise and championing the development of an accessible, comprehensive and sustainable child health system.
(November 2007)
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