Depletion of B vitamins, including folate, activates the Wnt pathway

The Mason Lab at Tufts has just published a study examining the effect of mild B vitamin depletion in two models of colorectal cancer:  they fed mice a diet limiting in folate, B2, B6 and B12 - the diet induced a 4-fold increase in Wnt signalling, and a 50% increase in tumors and aberrant crypt foci compared to mice fed a diet with the basal requirements of these vitamins.  The Wnt pathway is known to be important in not only colorectal cancer, but also in prostate cancer progression as well - it remains to be seen if mild folate depletion can also affect Wnt signalling in prostate tissues and we are currently examining this in our lab.  Meanwhile, we have another example of how low folate can be implicated in carcinogenesis - read all about it at in FASEB journal