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"It can be frustrating sometimes to hear that you&amp;#x27;re supposed to do one thing for your health only to hear a few years later that this thing is, wait, actually bad for you. This is the tone of some newly released research that is making a lot of women scratch their heads. Let&amp;#x27;s break this down ... Every woman who has ever considered having kids knows by now the importance of folic acid for healthy fetal development. In fact, during both of my pregnancies, my doctors advised me to supplement, which is no surprise. Another doctor said I should be taking folic acid supplements years before even trying to have a baby. So I did. But now, researchers in Sweden say those folic acid supplements may be upping our risk for certain types of cancers. (Swell.) While for most women, folate, a type of B vitamin, may help reduce your risk for breast cancer, women with a certain genetic make-up may experience an opposite effect, in that the supplement could increase their risk for breast cancer. While the researchers aren&amp;#x27;t advising about supplements right now (to take or not to take), they do point out that given this finding (which is a result of looking at more than 17,000 women), food makers should consider examining the fortification of folic acid in food. Worried about your risk? Talk to your doctor, of course, citing this research--especially if you have a family history of breast cancer or suspect, after further reading, that you may have this so-called gene. &amp;quot;It is better to eat a diet containing a lot of fruit, vegetables, legumes and wholemeal products,&amp;quot; the lead researcher states. &amp;quot;Then you get sufficient quantities of the natural form of folate, other vitamins and dietary fiber.&amp;quot; Thoughts on this? Do you take a folic acid supplement? P.S. Is your multivitamin a good idea? Researchers say maybe not. And, what vitamins and supplements do you really need? Here&amp;#x27;s a helpful guide. More Ways to Get Glamour Visit Shopglamour.com for cute stuff starting at just $10! Enter the latest Glamour sweepstakes! Follow us on Twitter Add us to your iGoogle homepage Photo: iStock"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2010/04/new-research-folic-acid-supple>