A growing body of laboratory and animal evidence as well as epidemiological data shows low levels of vitamin D may contribute to certain types of cancer. Conversely, strong biological and mechanistic bases indicate that vitamin D may play some role in the prevention of colon, prostate, and breast cancers.
Vitamin D is essential for promoting calcium absorption for bone and overall health in people. Low levels of vitamin D can lead to rickets in infants and children and the loss of bone density in adults.
More than 25 million adults in the United States have or are at risk of developing osteoporosis, a disease characterized by the loss of bone density that makes bones fragile and significantly increases the risk of fractures. When it comes to Osteoporosis, it’s a chicken and egg scenario: osteoporosis is most often associated with inadequate calcium intakes (generally less than 1,000-1,200 mg/day), but insufficient vitamin D contributes to osteoporosis by reducing the body’s calcium absorption.
While the evidence is far from conclusive, vitamin D may also prove to be an important protective nutrient in the prevention and treatment of cancer.
Video: Possible 75% cancer mortality reduction with Vitamin D
In a new study, researchers at the Moores Cancer Center and Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, UC San Diego used a complex computer prediction model to determine that intake of vitamin D3 and calcium would prevent 58,000 new cases of breast cancer and 49,000 new cases of colorectal cancer annually in the US and Canada. The researchers model also predicted that 75% of deaths from these cancers could be prevented with adequate intake of vitamin D3 and calcium. Dr. Cedric Garland, UCSD School of Medicine, lead researcher on the study discusses the implications of this finding and the proposed actions.