Governments that have added folic acid fortification requirements for wheat may increase citizen’s risk of contracting colorectal cancer, a new study suggests.

In Chile, where the government mandates more folic acid be added to wheat than in Canada or the U.S., researchers found an increase in colon cancer diagnoses of 162 percent for those ages 45 to 64 and 190 percent for those 65 to 79 after reviewing one four-year period before, and one after supplementation began.

They caution that because the data is only based on hospital discharge records, there is no direct cause-and-effect relationship, although a study in 2007 found similar increases in the U.S. and Canada.

Folic acid has been shown in some studies to be linked with maintaining good neurological health, and the National Institutes of Health recommend pregnant women take 0.4 mg a day to aid in fetal development.

Colorectal cancer affects about 140,000 Americans, while spina bifida affects one out of every 2,500 babies born each year.