Vitamin D reduces the onset of advanced cancers

Vitamin D is packed with benefits. Researchers from Harvard University’s Brigham Women’s Hospital (USA) showed that vitamin D intake was associated with an overall 17% reduction in cancer risk. This reduction could be up to 38% for people who have a normal BMI. The article was published on November 18, 2020 in Jama Network Open.

Vitamin D and Omega-3 for five years

To reach this conclusion, the research team looked at the VITAL (Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial) study that ended in 2018. It showed that vitamin D did not reduce cancer incidence but it did reduce the risk of death. With this new study from VITAL, the researchers want to know whether vitamin D supplementation was linked to the risk of metastatic or fatal cancer.

The VITAL study spanned five years and focused on 25,000 women and men aged 50 and over who did not have cancer. During the experiment, the participants were divided into four groups: those entitled to vitamin D (2,000 international units per day) and omega-3s; those with vitamin D and a placebo; those with omega-3s and a placebo; those with two placebos.

The main criteria sought by the team focused on the incidence of cancer and the main cardiovascular elements that would see their situation change. In a second phase, the team looked at the effects of body mass index (BMI) on tumors and to see if a possible correlation between the reduction in cancer cases and vitamin D supplementation.

Of the 25,000 participants, 1,617 were diagnosed with invasive cancer (breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, or other) during the five-year test. Of the 13,000 participants who received vitamin D, 226 were diagnosed with advanced cancer compared with 274 among those who received a placebo. Likewise, of the 7,843 participants who had normal BMI (between 18 and 25) and who were taking vitamin D, only 58 of them were diagnosed with cancer, compared with 96 people who were taking a placebo.

“These findings suggest that vitamin D may reduce the risk of developing advanced cancerssays Paulette Chandler, an epidemiologist in preventive medicine at Brigham Women’s Hospital. Vitamin D is a readily available, inexpensive supplement and has been used and researched for decades. Our findings, particularly the strong risk reduction seen in people of normal weight, provide new insight into the relationship between vitamin D and cancer progression.. “

Vitamin D and its many benefits

Although at first glance the results seem due to chance, there is still previous evidence that body mass can influence the action of vitamin D. Indeed, obesity and the inflammation that being overweight creates decreases. the effectiveness of vitamin D. Likewise, randomized trials of vitamin D have shown that it is most beneficial in people with a normal BMI.

Vitamin D deficiency is common in cancer patients. An earlier study showing 72% deficiency rates in cancer patients. People with high levels of body fat are also at an increased risk of getting more cancers.

“Our findings, along with those from previous studies, support the ongoing evaluation of vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of metastatic cancers – a biologically plausible link., confirms Paulette Chandler. Further studies in cancer patients investigating the role of BMI are warranted. “