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Un nuovo studio scopre che le madri che assumono integratori di acido folico nel periodo che precede la loro gravidanza possono ridurre il rischio per i loro bambini di sviluppare tumori al cervello durante la loro infanzia di almeno il 50 per cento.

La ricerca che ha portato alla scoperta è stata pubblicata sulla rivista “Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention” ed è stata condotta da un gruppo di ricercatori australiani guidato da Elizabeth Milne del Telethon Institute for Child Health Reasearch dell’University of Western Australia. Lo studio, condotto tra il 2005 e il 2011, ha indagato gli effetti dell’acido folico preso da solo o combinato con ferro, vitamina A, B6, B12 o C sulle diagnosi di tumore al cervello durante la crescita. Secondo Milne, l’acido folico è necessario per la corretta sintesi e riparazione del Dna.

Leggi l'abstract dell'articolo

 

Maternal Use of Folic Acid and Other Supplements and Risk of Childhood Brain Tumors

  1. Elizabeth Milne1,
  2.  
  3. Kathryn R. Greenop1,
  4.  
  5. Carol Bower1,
  6.  
  7. Margaret Miller2,
  8.  
  9. Frank M. van Bockxmeer3,5,
  10.  
  11. Rodney J. Scott7,8,
  12.  
  13. Nicholas H. de Klerk1,
  14.  
  15. Lesley J. Ashton9,
  16.  
  17. Nicholas G. Gottardo1,4,6,
  18.  
  19. Bruce K. Armstrong10, and
  20.  
  21. for the Aus-CBT Consortium

Authors' Affiliations:1Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia; 2Child Health Promotion Research Centre, School of Exercise and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University; Schools of 3Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and 4Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Western Australia; 5PathWest Biochemistry, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth; 6Department of Haematology and Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth; 7Hunter Medical Research Institute, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia; 8Hunter Area Pathology Service, HNEHealth, Newcastle; 9Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales; and 10Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

  1. Authors' Affiliations: 1Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia; 2Child Health Promotion Research Centre, School of Exercise and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University; Schools of 3Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and 4Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Western Australia; 5PathWest Biochemistry, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth; 6Department of Haematology and Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth; 7Hunter Medical Research Institute, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia; 8Hunter Area Pathology Service, HNEHealth, Newcastle; 9Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales; and10Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  1. Corresponding Author:
    Elizabeth Milne, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, P.O. Box 855 West Perth, Western Australia 6872, Australia. Phone: 61-08-9489-7756; Fax: 61-08-9489-7700; E-mail: lizm@ichr.uwa.edu.au.

Abstract

Background: Interest in a possible protective effect of maternal vitamin use before or during pregnancy against childhood brain tumors (CBT) and other childhood cancers has grown over the past decade. Our Australian study of CBTs, conducted between 2005 and 2011, investigated whether maternal use folic acid and other supplements was protective.

Methods: Case children were identified through the 10 Australian pediatric oncology centers and controls were recruited by national random digit dialing. Mothers of 327 cases and 867 control children provided information on supplement use before and during the index pregnancy, including brand name, dose, and timing. Data were analyzed using multivariable unconditional logistic regression.

Results: The OR for any maternal use of folic acid, use of folic acid without iron or vitamins B6, B12, C, or A, and any vitamin use before pregnancy, were: 0.68 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.46–1.00; 0.55 (95% CI, 0.32–0.93) and 0.68 (95% CI, 0.46–1.01), respectively. The ORs for use of these supplements during pregnancy were also below unity, but generally closer to the null than those for the prepregnancy period. There was some evidence of an inverse dose–response during each time period.

Conclusions: These results suggest that folic acid supplements before and possibly during pregnancy may protect against CBT. Such associations are biologically plausible through established mechanisms.

Impact: This study provides evidence of a specific protective effect of prenatal folic acid supplementation against the risk of CBT that is not attributable to the actions of the other micronutrients investigated. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(11); 1–9. ©2012 AACR.

Footnotes

Note: Supplementary data for this article are available at Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention Online (http://cebp.aacrjournals.org

 

 

 

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