Lee Swanson Research Update

Vitamin D Supplementation May Help Prevent Certain Cancers

January 2006

Vitamin D

Sufficient levels of vitamin D in the bloodstream are associated with a reduced risk of cancer, according to a meta-analysis published online by the American Journal of Public Health. Researchers said that vitamin D deficiency may be responsible for "several thousand premature deaths" from colon, breast, ovarian and prostate cancer each year.

"This discovery creates a new impetus for ensuring adequate vitamin D intake in order to reduce the risk of cancer," according to Cedric Garland of the Department of Family & Preventative Medicine, University of California, San Diego, one of the authors of the meta-analysis.

The authors found 63 observational studies through a PubMed database search. Thirty studies addressed the association between vitamin D status and risk of colon cancer, 13 of breast cancer, 26 of prostate cancer and seven of ovarian cancer.

The majority of the studies found that sufficient serum levels of 25(OH)D, the principal form of circulating vitamin D, were associated with a reduced risk of cancer, says Garland.

A minimum of 400 IU of supplemental vitamin D3 (the most biologically active form of vitamin D) is needed to maintain sufficient vitamin D levels in young and middle-aged adults, according to the authors. Individuals over age 70 require at least 600 IU of supplemental vitamin D3 due to decreased absorption of the nutrient. Additionally, since African Americans have a "markedly higher" deficiency than whites, a greater level of supplementation is probably necessary, the study authors noted.

Researchers concluded that "The cost of a daily dose of vitamin D3 (1,000 IU) is less than five cents, which could be balanced against the high human and economic costs of treating cancer attributable to insufficiency of vitamin D."

American Journal of Public Health www.ajph.org

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