Folate’s hidden benefit

There’s some great news on the prevention of one of the most common forms of cancer.

The latest research suggests that women can dramatically lower their risk of colorectal cancer by simply getting more folate. In fact, folate can decrease your risk by nearly two- thirds!

The South Korean study followed more than 1,000 patients. Nearly 600 of them were colorectal cancer patients, while just over 500 of them were healthy. And the researchers found that while drinking, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, and a family history of the disease all played a role, the healthy women had more folate.

Women who got more than 300 micrograms of folate each day were 64 percent less likely to get the disease than women who got less than 200 micrograms daily, according to the study, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

There’s been a shocking rise in the number of colorectal cancers in South Korea – with a six-fold jump in deaths over the past 25 years.

Researchers there believe the rapid switch to a more Western diet may be behind those horrifying stats – and if they’re right, what does that say about us? After all, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer – and the third most common cause of cancer deaths – here in the United States for men and women alike.

It doesn’t take a huge leap to make the connection between our diets and these cancers – after all, fresh vegetables have fallen out of favor as prepackaged convenience meals take over the dinner table.

And those fresh vegetables that should be on the table with every meal – especially the folate-rich leafy greens like spinach – have practically become exotic fare. Even when we do eat them, we tend to sauté the nutrients right out of the food.

The good news is, this is an easy enough habit to change. Eat more fresh vegetables, raw or lightly cooked, or take a folate supplement.

The bad news is strictly for the men – while there are lots of other great reasons for you to make sure you get enough folate, colorectal cancer prevention isn’t one of them. The researchers found the benefit applies only to women.

Sorry guys – but eat your spinach anyway. Popeye says so.