Can Vitamin D Prevent Cancer?

Epidemiological studies have found that people living near the equator will produce more vitamin D in their bodies due to long-term exposure to sunlight, and their cancer incidence and mortality rates are also relatively low.
 
Is there a link between vitamin D and cancer risk? Led by scholars at Harvard University's Brigham and Women's Hospital, a VITAL (Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial) study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2018 found that high-dose vitamin D supplements did not reduce the risk of cancer, but were associated with a decline in cancer mortality over time.
 
Recently, the results of the secondary analysis of VITAL research data were published in JAMA Network Open, a subsidiary of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Data shows that taking vitamin D is associated with a lower overall risk of developing advanced (metastatic or fatal) cancer, and weight can affect the association between them.
 
Before looking at the latest results, let's review the VITAL study. This large-scale study conducted a rigorous placebo-controlled trial for more than 5 years to explore the preventive effects of omega-3 and vitamin D on related diseases. The part of vitamin D has also been commented by Professor Jane Armitage of Oxford University as "the best test for the effect of vitamin D on heart disease and cancer so far."
 

The study included 25,871 men and women aged 50 and over from across the United States. The subjects had no history of cancer (except non-melanoma skin cancer) and cardiovascular disease when they joined the study. The subjects were divided into four groups:
A. Vitamin D 2000 IU/day plus omega-3 fish oil capsules 1 g/day·
B. Active Vitamin D plus omega-3 placebo
C. Active omega-3 plus vitamin D placebo
D. Two placebos
 
Based on the previous findings, the researchers focused on the impact of taking vitamin D supplements on the risk of advanced cancer and the potential regulation of body mass index (BMI).
 
Over an average period of more than five years, there were 500 cases of advanced cancer occurred. Among them, 12,927 subjects who took vitamin D supplements, 226 cases (1.7%) occurred.12,944 subjects who did not take vitamin D supplements, 274 cases (2.1%) occurred.
After adjusting for other factors, the study found that those who took vitamin D supplements had a 17% lower risk of developing advanced cancer than those who did not.
 
And this association is more obvious in subjects with normal weight (BMI <25). Compared with subjects who did not take vitamin D supplements with normal weight, subjects who took vitamin D supplements with normal weight significantly reduced the risk of advanced cancer by 38%, the risk of metastatic cancer was reduced by 37%, the risk of fatal cancer is reduced by 42%. In subjects who were overweight (25≤BMI<30) and obese (BMI≥30), no such association was found.
 
Researchers analyzed that vitamin D may inhibit cancer and slow down tumor progression, including promoting cell differentiation, inhibiting cancer cell proliferation, and anti-inflammatory, immune regulation, pro-apoptosis and anti-angiogenesis effects, reducing tumor invasion and metastasis tendency, thereby reducing cancer mortality. Overweight and obesity, which are associated with chronic, low-grade inflammation and systemic disorders of natural killer cell (NK) function, which may weaken the effect of vitamin D supplements.
 
The corresponding author of the study, Dr. Paulette D. Chandler, from the Department of Preventive Medicine, Harvard University's Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said: “The results of the study show that vitamin D may reduce the risk of advanced cancer. Vitamin D is a supplement that is easily available and inexpensive. It has been used and studied for decades. Our findings, especially the significant risk reduction observed in normal-weight individuals, provide new evidence on the relationship between vitamin D and advanced cancer."
 
However, the researchers also reminded that although studies have shown that the vitamin D deficiency rate of cancer patients is as high as 72%, when taking vitamin D supplements, we should be confirmed whether we are lacking, and follow professional recommendations.
 
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Reference:
[1] Paulette D. Chandler, et al.,(2020). Effect of Vitamin D3 Supplements on Development of Advanced Cancer A Secondary Analysis of the VITAL Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open, DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.25850.
[2] Vitamin D supplements may reduce risk of developing advanced cancer. Retrieved Nov 2, 2020, from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-11-vitamin-d-supplements-advanced-cancer.html

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