WebMD reports researchers in Italy studied folic acid's effects on laryngeal leukoplakia, or precancerous lesions in the larynx.
Early results show patients who took folic acid supplements did not get cancer of the larynx.
In some patients, the precancerous lesions disappeared altogether.
Folic acid is found in green, leafy vegetables such as spinach and turnip greens, dried beans and peas.
The team from the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore's Institute of Otolaryngology previously found that patients with laryngeal leukoplakia usually have lower levels of folic acid in their blood than people without the condition.
In the study, 43 adults with laryngeal leukoplakia were given folic acid supplements for six months. The study is published in the early online edition of the journal Cancer.
