Vitamin D and cancer risk

Published: 25-Jul-2016

Study suggests that vitamin D for cancer risk reduction may be substantially higher than the concentration recommended by the Institute of Medicine for bone health


In 1980, two epidemiologists, Frank C. Garland and his brother Cedric F. Garland, published a paper in the International Journal of Epidemiology that suggested vitamin D and calcium (the absorption of which is aided by vitamin D) together reduced colon cancer risk.

This connection, they posited, could explain the long-recognised, but until then, unexplained disparity in colon cancer rates between the northern parts of the United States and the sunnier southern states.

In the decades since that paper was published, much research has focused on the relationship between vitamin D and cancer risk, and studies have confirmed the Garland brothers’ hypothesis. Research has identified an increased risk of breast, colorectal and prostate cancer associated with lower serum concentrations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D].

Building on the existing research, a 2016 paper published in the journal PLoS ONE aimed to confirm previous findings and determine whether a 25(OH)D response region could be identified in women ages 55 and older.

The researchers considered data from two cohorts that included a range of median 25(OH)D concentrations and looked for associations with all invasive cancers except skin cancer. In total, the study included data from more than 2300 women. After adjusting for age, the researchers found that cancer incidence was lower at higher 25(OH)D concentrations. Women with concentrations greater than or equal to 40ng/mL had a 67% lower cancer risk than those with concentrations less than 20ng/mL.

This research adds more validity to the theory that vitamin D is a key component of cancer prevention. And considering the fact that the number of new cancer cases is expected to rise to 22 million worldwide in the next two decades, it points to a simple and effective way to reduce risk — by increasing serum vitamin D concentrations.

This study further suggests that vitamin D for cancer risk reduction may be substantially higher (at least 40ng/mL) than the concentration recommended by the Institute of Medicine for bone health (20ng/mL).

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