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Health News Archive 152 - Cancer
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Vitamin D Cuts Colon Cancer Risk 50%, Breast Cancer 30%

Whether one has “got milk” or not, they are likely to have a vitamin D deficiency. Milk, even the fortified kind, actually contains very little vitamin D. According to the National Institutes’ of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, there is no one food that contains a particularly high amount of vitamin D.

And that’s too bad because a new study put out by the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center reveals how vitamin D can prevent certain commonly-occurring cancers.

Vitamin D is an “inexpensive tool,” say the study authors, to avoid developing certain cancers by up to 50%.

The vitamin is one that will likely need supplementation because “You have to work fairly hard to reach 1,000 IU a day,” says study co-author Dr. Cedric Garland. In fact, he says, "It would be impossible."

1,000 International Units (IU’s) a day is the magic number that may offer protection from cancer, according to the new study, which was published on the internet December 27, 2005, and will be printed in the February 2006 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Taking 1,000 international units (IU) - or 25 micrograms - of the vitamin daily could lower an individual's cancer risk by 50% in colon cancer, and by 30% in breast and ovarian cancer, they said.

To arrive at their conclusion on the importance of vitamin D, researchers examined 63 observational studies, looking for the relationship between blood serum levels of vitamin D with risks of certain cancers, including colon, breast, and ovarian cancer.

An earlier study by this group of researchers showed that there was a linkage between vitamin D deficiency and high rates of colon cancer.

Explains Garland, "There have already been over 1,000 studies on the mechanism of how vitamin D prevents cancer." The next step, he says, is simply widespread implementation of 1,000 IU a day of what has already been called "the micronutrient of the 21st Century."

The study concluded that people with darker skin pigmentation, as well as residents of the North Eastern United states in particular may benefit from supplementation. It is believed that melanin slows the rate of vitamin D synthesis; and that those in colder climates get less sun and have similarly low levels of Vitamin D as a result.

“We now have proof,” said Garland, “That the incidence of colon, breast and ovarian cancer can be reduced dramatically by increasing the intake of vitamin D.” Only the form of vitamin D known as cholecalciferol, or vitamin D-3, notes Garland, has been proven to offer anti-cancer effectiveness.

The recommended daily allotment of 1000 IU is half the upper safe limit established by the National Academy of Sciences. More than 2,000 IU - 50 micrograms - a day can lead to the body absorbing too much calcium, possibly damaging the liver and kidneys. Considering the potential benefit versus the cost of pennies per day, expanded use of the vitamin should not be delayed, say the study’s authors.

One glass of fortified orange juice or milk has only approximately 100 International Units of vitamin D.

Objectives and Conclusions:  Vitamin D status differs by latitude and race, with residents of the northeastern United States and individuals with more skin pigmentation being at increased risk of deficiency. A PubMed database search yielded 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, and several that assessed the association of vitamin D receptor genotype with cancer risk. The majority of studies found a protective relationship between sufficient vitamin D status and lower risk of cancer. The evidence 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.

Source: 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. 2005 Dec 27; [Epub ahead of print]