Background: Observational studies show that folate levels may be associated with the development of adenomas and colorectal cancer, suggesting that folic acid supplementation may have a preventive effect.
Aim: Systematic review of scientific evidence from randomized placebo-controlled clinical studies to identify the effects of folic acid supplementation on the recurrence of colorectal adenomas.
Material and methods: Medline via Pubmed systematic review of randomized clinical trials, double-blind and placebo-controlled and references, specifically to evaluate the effect of acid supplementation on the recurrence of colorectal adenomas.
Results: Seven randomized clinical trials that met the inclusion criteria were selected and evaluated for analysis based on pre established criteria.
Conclusions: The selected studies do not support that folic acid supplementation is beneficial in recurrence of colorectal adenomas. We observed in some studies differences in risk by type of folate suggesting to review the criteria and levels of supplementation in some population subgroups with higher risks.