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Health News Archive 537 - Colon Cancer
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Raising Vitamin D Levels Would Reduce Colorectal Cancer Risk 50%

The colorectal cancer meta-analysis, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, pulled together five studies, totaling 1,448 individuals (all Caucasian) that explored the association of blood levels of 25(OH)D with risk of colon cancer.

As with the breast cancer study, the dose-response data on a total of 1,448 individuals were put into order by serum 25(OH)D level and then divided into five equal groups, from the lowest blood levels to the highest. "Through this meta-analysis we found that raising the serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D to 34 ng/ml would reduce the incidence rates of colorectal cancer by half," said lead author Edward Gorham.

"We project a two-thirds reduction in incidence with serum levels of 46 ng/ml, which corresponds to a daily intake of 2,000 IU of vitamin D3. This would be best achieved with a combination of diet, supplements and 10 to 15 minutes per day in the sun.

The meta-analysis on colorectal cancer included data from the well-publicized Women's Health Initiative, which reported a null relationship between vitamin D intake and colorectal cancer risk. However, the researchers wrote, the meta-analysis indicates that a higher dose may reduce its incidence.

“An intake of 2000 IU/day would raise the population median to 46 ng/ml. This is well below an intake level that would induce even mild hypervitaminosis,” they wrote.

The link between vitamin D intake and protection from cancer dates from the 1940s when Frank Apperly demonstrated a link between latitude and deaths from cancer, and suggested that sunlight gave “a relative cancer immunity.”

Vitamin D levels have been linked to skin color – darker skinned people produce less vitamin D on exposure to the sun, relative to fair-skinned people.

Calls for raising the recommended daily allowance of the vitamin have been growing after reports that higher intakes could protect against osteoporosis and certain cancers. Consumer awareness of these health links is also increasing with some outlets reporting massive boosts in sales.

E.D. Gorham, C.F. Garland, F.C Garland, W.B. Grant, S.B. Mohr, M. Lipkin, H. Newmark, E.L. Giovannucci, M. Wei, M.F. Holick. Optimal vitamin D status for colorectal cancer prevention – A quantitative meta-analysis; American Journal of Preventive Medicine; Volume 32, Number 3, Pages 210-216.

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