Vitamin B12 and Cancer

Folate is required for synthesis of DNA, and there is evidence that decreased availability of folate results in strands of DNA that are more susceptible to damage. Deficiency of vitamin B₁₂ traps folate in a form that is unusable by the body for DNA synthesis. Both vitamin B₁₂ and folate deficiencies result in a diminished capacity for methylation reactions. Thus, vitamin B₁₂ deficiency may lead to an elevated rate of DNA damage and altered methylation of DNA, both of which are important risk factors for cancer.

A recent series of studies in young adults and older men indicated that increased levels of homocysteine and decreased levels of vitamin B₁₂ in the blood were associated with a biomarker of chromosome breakage in white blood cells. In a double blind, placebo-controlled study the same biomarker of choromosome breakage was minimized in young adults who were supplemented with 700 mcg of folic acid and 7 mcg of vitamin B₁₂ daily in cereal for two months.

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