Mathias Busekist
The study suggests that the common vitamin is effective in preventing and treating colorectal cancer.
Others are reading now
Vitamin D, long recognized for its benefits to bone health, muscle strength, and immune function, is gaining attention for its potential in cancer prevention, particularly in the fight against colorectal cancer.
A recent study published in Nutrients suggests that the vitamin may be effective not only in preventing colorectal cancer but also in improving outcomes for those diagnosed with the disease.
The study, led by Hungarian researchers, conducted a meta-analysis of 50 previous studies involving more than 1.3 million participants. It focused on vitamin D’s impact on cancer risk, immunity, and inflammation. The findings underscore the critical role vitamin D plays in both preventing and treating colorectal cancer, according to Dr. János Tamás Varga, the lead author and associate professor at Semmelweis University in Budapest.
“The most important finding is that vitamin D plays a critical role in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer,” Dr. Varga explained in an interview with Fox News Digital. He emphasized a strong correlation between levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the active form of vitamin D, and cancer outcomes. Patients with low vitamin D levels were found to have poorer prognoses.
Also read
The study highlights several mechanisms through which vitamin D exerts its beneficial effects on colorectal cancer. These include reducing inflammation, promoting the death of cancer cells, inhibiting tumor growth, and enhancing immune response—each of which plays a significant role in the disease’s pathophysiology. The research also suggests that vitamin D supplementation could improve survival rates in patients with advanced-stage colorectal cancer.
“While vitamin D has shown promise in cancer prevention, our study also suggests that its impact may depend on factors like dosage, the patient’s condition, and the duration of treatment,” Dr. Varga added.
Despite these promising findings, the study’s authors caution that the varied dosages and stages of cancer in the studies they reviewed limit the ability to draw definitive conclusions. They recommend further research to determine the optimal dosage of vitamin D and its therapeutic efficacy in cancer treatment.
Vitamin D is primarily obtained through exposure to sunlight, which triggers the body’s production of the vitamin.
It can also be sourced from certain foods, such as fatty fish and fortified products like milk, orange juice, and cereals.
