General Cancer
Breast Cancer
Colorectal Cancer
Lung Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer
Prostate Cancer
Vitamin D is particularly important in skeletal development and bone mineralization primarily through its regulation of calcium absorption from the intestine and re-absorption from the kidneys. Deficiency may cause osteoporosis, a condition characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue. Vitamin D is claimed to have anti-osteoporotic, anti-carcinogenic, antioxidant, anti-psoriatic, immunomodulatory and mood modulatory activities. Rich sources are fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna), fish oils (cod liver oil), and fortified foods (eggs, milk products, and breakfast cereals). Exposure to sunlight also converts the inactive Vitamin D under the skin to active Vitamin D. Recommended daily allowance is 400 IU/day. (For more detailed information, please visit ISM’s searchable database: Nutraceutical Search.)
Vitamin D deficiency causes poor mineralization of the collagen matrix in young children’s bones leading to growth retardation and bone deformities known as rickets. In adults, vitamin D deficiency induces secondary hyperparathyroidism………. thus increasing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. ……. Vitamin D deficiency causes muscle weakness…….There is mounting scientific evidence that implicates vitamin D deficiency with an increased risk of type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, cardiovascular heart disease, and many common deadly cancers.
o o Holick, MF (2005). The Vitamin D Epidemic and its Health Consequences. J Nutr. 135,2739S-2748S.
Background: Numerous observational studies have found supplemental calcium and vitamin D to be associated with reduced risk of common cancers………Objective: The purpose of this analysis was to determine the efficacy of calcium alone and calcium plus vitamin D in reducing incident cancer risk of all types……..Conclusions: Improving calcium and vitamin D nutritional status substantially reduces all-cancer risk in postmenopausal women.
o o Lappe, JM et al (2007). Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 85(6), 1586-91
Postmenopausal women that those taking large amounts of vitamin D3 in conjunction with calcium had a 60 per cent or higher chance of not getting cancer than their peers. The latter years showed even more dramatic results with the calcium/vitamin D3 group showing a 77 per cent cancer-risk reduction.
o Lappe, J, Travers-Gustafson, D, Davies, K, Recker, R, & Heaney, R Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr, 85(6), 1586-91.
· Recent research suggests that getting more vitamin D may prevent a variety of cancers (1-3) and may be helpful for people even after a cancer diagnosis (4-7). Low levels of vitamin D may be associated with increased cancer incidence and mortality in men, particularly for digestive-system cancers. The vitamin D supplementation necessary to achieve a 25(OH)D increment of 25 nmol/L may be at least 1500 IU/day. (1)
1. Giovannucci E, Liu Y, Rimm EB, Hollis BW, Fuchs CS, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC. Prospective study of predictors of vitamin D status and cancer incidence and mortality in men. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006;98(7):451-59.
2. Garland CF, Garland FC, Gorham ED, Lipkin M, Newmark H, Mohr SB, Holick MF. The role of vitamin D in cancer prevention. Am J Public Health. 2006;96(2):252-61.
3. Giovannucci E. The epidemiology of vitamin D and colorectal cancer: recent findings. Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2006;22(1):24-29.
4. Lim HS, Roychoudhuri R, Peto J, Schwartz G, Baade P, Moller H. Cancer survival is dependent on season of diagnosis and sunlight exposure. Int J Cancer. 2006; [Article online in advance of print].
5. Grant WB. Lower vitamin-D production from solar ultraviolet-B irradiance may explain some differences in cancer survival rates. J Natl Med Assoc. 2006;98(3):357-64.
6. Porojnicu AC, Robsahm TE, Ree AH, Moan J. Season of diagnosis is a prognostic factor in Hodgkin's lymphoma: a possible role of sun-induced vitamin D. Br J Cancer. 2005;93(5):571-74.
7. Woo TC, Choo R, Jamieson M, Chander S, Vieth R. Potential role of vitamin D (Cholecalciferol) in patients with PSA relapse after definitive therapy. Nutr Cancer. 2005;51(1):32-36.
The high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, combined with the discovery of increased risks of certain types of cancer in those who are deficient, suggest that vitamin D deficiency may account for several thousand premature deaths from colon, breast, ovarian and other cancers annually. Use of vitamin D might prevent breast cancer in the first place. The findings are based upon an extensive systematic review of scientific papers on the relationship of blood serum levels or oral intake of vitamin D.
o Cedric F. Garland, February 2006 issue of The American Journal of Public Health.
Evidence indicates that hypovitaminosis D may increase cancer incidence and progression and may perhaps even affect survival. he researchers propose that the vitamin's protection is multifaceted, by reducing the formation of blood vessels in tumours (angiogenesis), stimulating the mutual adherence of cells, and enhancing intercellular communication through gap junctions. All this adds up to stop proliferation of cancerous cells by contact inhibition.
o E. Giovannucci, Y. Liu, W.C. Willett 2006 Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention Volume 15, Number 12, pp. 2467-2472, 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-06-0357 “Cancer Incidence and Mortality and Vitamin D in Black and White Male Health Professionals”
People who had very good levels of vitamin D in the body through a combination of vitamin D in the diet and exposure to sunlight during summer months were 67% less likely to get lung cancer again compared to people that weren't eating enough vitamin D and weren't making this nutrient due to sun exposure. This study suggests that having plenty of vitamin D in the body may help prevent lung cancer from returning after treatment.
o Zhou W, et al. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2005;14(10):2303-09.
Men who get at least 1,500IU/day of Vit D are 17% less likely to develop any cancer and 29% less likely to die from it.
o Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2006;98:451-459.
The evidence from 63 observational studies of vitamin D status in relation to cancer risk, including 30 of colon, 13 of breast, 26 of prostate, and 7 of ovarian cancer, suggests that efforts to improve vitamin D status, for example by vitamin D supplementation, could reduce cancer incidence and mortality at low cost, with few or no adverse effects.
o Cedric F. et al. Am J Public Health. 2006 Feb; 96(2): 252-61.
Vitamin D provided the strongest positive associations (odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals) in analyses after adjusting for gender, age, education, and race/ethnicity.
o J Altern Complement Med. 2004 Aug; 10(4): 660-6.
· Conditions associated with suboptimal Vitamin D status:
• Colon, breast, ovarian, bladder, Esophageal cancer[1]
• Cervical cancer[2]
• Uterine cancer[11]
(1) Grant, W.B., An estimate of premature cancer mortality in the U.S. due to inadequate doses of solar ultraviolet- B radiation. Cancer, 2002. 94(6): p. 1867-75.
(2) Friedrich, M., et al., Analysis of the vitamin D system in cervical carcinomas, breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Recent Results Cancer Res, 2003. 164: p. 239-46.
(3) Yabushita, H., et al., Vitamin D receptor in endometrial carcinoma and the differentiation-inducing effect of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 on endometrial carcinoma cell lines. J Obstet Gynaecol Res, 1996. 22(6): p. 529-39.
As many as 50%of breast and colon cancer cases could be prevented by increasing intake of vitamin D. A 50 percent reduction in colon cancer incidence would require universal intake of 2000 IU (International Units) per day of vitamin D, and a 50 percent reduction in breast cancer would require 3500 IU per day.
o Garland, Cedric F. et al. "What is the dose-response relationship between vitamin D and cancer risk?" Nutrition Reviews 65;8 (Suppl):91-95.
BREAST CANCER:
Purpose: Vitamin D has been linked to breast cancer risk, but prognostic effects are unknown. Such effects are biologically plausible given the presence of vitamin D receptors in breast cancer cells……..
Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency may be associated with poor outcomes in breast cancer.
o o Goodwin, PJ et al (2009). Prognostic Effects of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels in Early Breast Cancer. J Clin Oncol. 27(23), 3757-37.
Background: Little is known about vitamin D status in breast cancer survivors. This issue is important because vitamin D influences pathways related to carcinogenesis…….Objective: The objective of this report was to describe and understand vitamin D status in a breast cancer survivor cohort……….Conclusions: In these breast cancer survivors, the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency was high. Clinicians might consider monitoring vitamin D status in breast cancer patients, together with appropriate treatments, if necessary.
o Neuhouser, ML et al (2008). Vitamin D insufficiency in a multiethnic cohort of breast cancer survivors. Am J Clin Nutr. 88(1), 133-9.
Increased vitamin D levels during youth, from the sun and the diet, may reduce the risk of breast cancer later in life by over 30 per cent.
o Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention: March 2007, Volume 16: 422-429. "Vitamin D and Reduced Risk of Breast Cancer: A Population-Based Case-Control Study" Authors: J.A. Knight, M. Lesosky, H. Barnett, J.M. Raboud, R. Viethe.
Increasing the daily intake of vitamin D to 2000 International Units could halve the risk of developing breast cancer. This study found that individuals with the highest blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (50 nanograms per millilitre) had a 50% lower risk of breast cancer, compared to those with the lowest blood levels (10 nanograms per millilitre or less).
o Garland, CF et al (2006).Vitamin D and prevention of breast cancer: Pooled analysis. Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Published on-line ahead of print; doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2006.12.007.
Circulating vitamin D levels are lower in patients with advanced breast cancer than in those with early breast cancer. This observation adds to an ever-growing body of evidence linking vitamin D status with incidence and risk of various cancers, including breast, colorectal and prostate.
o C. Palmieri, Journal of Clinical Pathology doi.10.1136/jcp.2006.042747
Study #1: The higher the level of Vit D, the lower the risk of breast cancer. At the highest level, risk was reduced by 50%, but even women in the second lowest level were 10% less likely to develop breast cancer than women in the lowest level.
Study #2: Dietary Vit D and sunshine reduce the risk of breast cancer.
o Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2006(oral presentation)
Limited data supports a role in breast cancer prevention.
o Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Feb; 16(1): 19-25.
Increased intake of vitamin D from the diet and from sunlight may reduce the risk for breast cancer by over 20%. o Blackmore, KL et al. Vitamin D from dietary intake and sunlight exposure and the risk of hormone-receptor-defined breast cancer.
o Am J Epidemiol, Published online ahead of print, doi:10.1093/aje/kwn198.
COLORECTAL CANCER:
Background: Calcium and vitamin D have a potential protective effect against colorectal cancer. ……….
Objective: We investigated the association of dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D with the risk of colorectal cancer in a large prospective cohort study of middle-aged Japanese men and women……..
Conclusions: Although vitamin D and colorectal cancer risk were not associated, potential effect modification between calcium and vitamin D on the risk of colorectal cancer was indicated.
o o Ishihara, J et al (2008). Dietary calcium, vitamin D, and the risk of colorectal cancer. Am J Clin Nutr. 88(6), 1576-83.
Many epidemiological studies have shown an association between dietary factors, including calcium and vitamin D, and the incidence of colon cancer. Recently the Calcium Polyp Prevention Study demonstrated that calcium supplementation can reduce the recurrence of colon polyps, but the effect depends on serum vitamin D levels………Because of the apparent synergistic effect of vitamin D and calcium, co-supplementation of both nutrients in cancer prevention programs may be advised.
o Harris, DM & Go, VLW (2004). Vitamin D and colon carcinogenesis. J Nutr. 134, 3463S-3471S.
Increasing the daily intake of vitamin D to 2000 International Units could halve the risk of developing colorectal cancer.
o Gorham, ED et al. Optimal vitamin D status for colorectal cancer prevention – A quantitative meta-analysis. Am J Prev Med, 32(3), 210-16.
Low levels associated with increased cancer incidence and mortality in men, particularly for digestive-system cancers.
o J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Apr 5; 98(7): 451-9.]
Studies over the past year have added more support to the idea that higher levels of vitamin D may decrease risk of colorectal cancer. Higher vitamin D levels may also be associated with a higher rate of apoptosis in colorectal mucosa. Recent studies add more support to a potential role of vitamin D on risk of colorectal cancer, but suggest that intakes higher than customary are required if solar ultraviolet-B exposure is low.
o Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2006 Jan; 22(1): 24-9.
Risk of colon cancer is decreased by 50-75% with higher Vit D.
o Garland, International Journal of Epidemiology (1980) 9(3):227-31
Eight year study (n= 25,800): Breast & colon cancer rate is 3X higher for those with low Vit D.
o Elias, USA Today (January 1989)
LUNG CANCER:
Low circulating vitamin D levels, as well as a combination of low levels and low intake of vitamin D, were associated with significantly decreased overall and recurrence-free survival of lung cancer.
o Circulating Vitamin D and Lung Cancer Survival. Review of J Clin Oncol. 2007;25:479-85.
PANCREATIC CANCER:Consumption of vitamin D tablets was found to cut the risk of pancreatic cancer nearly in half, according to a study led by researchers at Northwestern and Harvard universities. The study examined data from two large, long-term health surveys and found that taking the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of D (400 IU/day) reduced the risk of pancreatic cancer by 43%.
o Halcyon Skinner, Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention. September, 2006.
Vitamin D is emerging as an important dietary factor that affects the incidence and progression of many malignancies including prostate cancer. The active form of vitamin D, 1, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [1, 25(OH)2D3], inhibits the growth and stimulates the differentiation of prostate cancer cells……..The combination of other anticancer agents such as retinoids with vitamin D offers another promising therapeutic approach.
o o Peehl, DM, Krishnan, AV & Feldman, D (2003). Pathways Mediating the Growth-Inhibitory Actions of Vitamin D in Prostate Cancer. J Nutr. 133, 2461S-2469S.
Vitamin D can slow down the spread of prostate cancer by limiting the activity of certain enzymes. Vitamin D, in the form of the highly active 1alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-VD), inhibited the function of protease enzymes that are involved in tumour invasion. The body of evidence for the benefits of vitamin D against prostate cancer is rapidly growing.
o Bao, Carcinogenesis (2006) (Vol. 27, pp. 32-42)