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• Breast
  
• Prostate
  
• Colon
  
• Skin

Evidence of vitamin D's protective effect against cancer is compelling. For more than 50 years, documentation in the medical literature suggests regular sun exposure is associated with substantial decreases in death rates from certain cancers and a decrease in overall cancer death rates. Recent research suggests this is a causal relationship that acts through the body's vitamin D metabolic pathways. For instance, some evidence points to a prostate, breast and colon cancer belt in the United States, which lies in northern latitudes under more cloud cover than other regions during the year. Rates for these cancers are two to three times higher than in sunnier areas.

Dark-skinned people require more sun exposure to make vitamin D. The thickness of the skin layer called the stratum corneum affects the absorption of UV radiation. Black human skin is thicker than white skin and thus transmits only about 40 percent of the UV rays for vitamin D production. Darkly pigmented individuals who live in sunny equatorial climates experience a higher mortality rate (not incidence) from breast and prostate cancer when they move to geographic areas that are deprived of sunlight exposure in winter months. The rate of increase varies, and researchers hesitate to quote figures because many migrant black populations also have poor nutrition and deficient health care that confound statistics somewhat.

Although excessive sun exposure may give rise to skin cancer, researchers as early as 1936 were aware that skin cancer patients have reduced rates of other cancers. One researcher estimates moderate sunning would prevent 30,000 annual cancer deaths in the United States.

Vitamin D may also go beyond cancer prevention and provide tumor therapy. Much ado has been made of pharmaceutical angiogenesis inhibitors agents that help inhibit the growth of new, undesirable blood vessels that tumors require for nutrient supply and growth. Laboratory tests have shown vitamin D to be a potent angiogenesis inhibitor.

Vitamin D also works at another stage of cancer development. Tumor cells are young, immortal cells that never grow up, mature and die off. Because vitamin D derivatives have been shown to promote normal cell growth and maturation, drug companies today are attempting to engineer patentable forms of vitamin D for anti-cancer therapy.

For over 60 years researchers have observed an inverse association between sun exposure and cancer mortality. The inverse relationship between higher vitamin D levels in blood and lower cancer risk in humans is best documented for colon and colorectal cancers. Researchers have found that people who eat adequate amounts of vitamin D have a lower risk of developing colon cancer than those who do not eat enough. Vitamin D emerged as a protective factor in a study of over 3,000 adults (96% of whom were men) who underwent a colonoscopy between 1994 and 1997 to look for polyps or lesions in the colon. About 10% of the group was found to have at least one advanced neoplastic (cancerous) lesion in the colon. There was a significantly lower risk of advanced cancerous lesions among those with the highest vitamin D intake.

Vitamin D may slow prostate tumour growth

A new study, suggests that giving vitamin D supplements to men with rising rates of prostate tumour markers (PSA) seems to slow down their rate of tumour growth. "The PSA levels seemed to reflect the seasonal variation in vitamin D levels," Dr. Lawrence Klotz, a urologist at Sunnybrook & Women's College Health Sciences Centre. Researchers followed 190 men for the study. They found that overall, their PSA levels were flat during the summer, but rose during the fall and winter at the rate of about one per cent each month.

The doctors then gave the men 2,000 International Units of vitamin D during the fall and winter months to see what would happen. Interestingly, the vitamin D seemed to cut the rise in PSA rates by more than half. Without vitamin D, PSA rates rose by about five per cent. With vitamin D, PSA rates only rose by two per cent. "As far as I know, there is no other nutrient studied that has shown a slowdown in the rate of rise of a PSA." said Reinhold Veith, a professor at the University of Toronto and a leading researcher in the field of vitamin D research.

Ken Waldie, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998, had his prostate removed. But soon after that, his PSA levels continued to rise. He never thought there might be a link between cold Canadian winters and his health, but he started charting his PSA levels, and kept at it for five years. Waldie noticed that when he spent winters in the sunny Bahamas, his PSA levels were usually stable, signalling no growth.But, during winters spent in cloudy Kingston, Ontario, Waldie noticed that his PSA levels would rise. "About 85 per cent of the increase over that five years happened in the north," Waldie said. "So I realized sunlight had something to do with it."

Under the supervision of his doctor, Waldie decided to experiment. In the winter, he took doses of vitamin D similar to what he'd get in the summer sunlight (about 10,000 I.U.) and kept an eye on his PSA levels. "When I started taking vitamin D, it leveled off," Waldie said. "I think they are dramatic results."

Vitamin D Could Decrease Overall Cancer Risk 30%

A recent epidemiological study (January 03, 2005) supports the case that higher vitamin D intake could dramatically lower the rate of cancer in the United States. Other studies have suggested that higher vitamin D levels help protect against colon, prostate, and breast cancer, but a long-term study of 50,000 men by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health suggests vitamin D may reduce the risk of all cancers. The study found that men who consumed higher levels of vitamin D reduced their overall cancer risk by at least 30 percent, according to lead author, Ed Giovannucci. The findings were statistically significant, he said, and a separate study of women is expected to produce similar results.

Another interesting angle here is this huge benefit against cancer is coming from a vitamin that is not classified as an antioxidant. For decades researchers have been trying to use antioxidant free radical quenching vitamins such as beta carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C to reduce cancer, heart disease, and other diseases. The results have been pretty disappointing. Now the biggest potential benefit turns out to be from a vitamin which is most likely operating by a mechanism unrelated to prevention of free radical damage.

Keep in mind that this result will not carry over to the world as a whole. Some populations are consistently exposed to enough sunlight for their skins to synthesize the amount of vitamin D that they need. But a 30% reduction in cancer in America looks to be possible. That would be an enormous boon, both lengthening lives and reducing medical costs.

This latest study does not come as a surprise. It builds upon a larger body of epidemiological evidence for a wide array of benefits from consumption of greater quantities of vitamin D. A previous analysis found that addition of Vitamin D and calcium to grains would reduce the incidences of fractures and colon cancer and save $3 billion per year for a cost of less than $20 million per year.

Vitamin D does protect men from prostate cancer. A high circulating level of the biologically active form of vitamin D (1,25(OH)2 vitamin D [1,25(OH)2D) is known to inhibit formation of cancer in the prostate. Eating a diet high in meat and milk and low in fruit reduces the level of this anti-prostate cancer vitamin. "High intakes of calcium and phosphorus, largely from dairy products, lower circulating 1,25(OH)2D level, and sulfur-containing amino acids from animal protein lower blood pH, which also suppresses 1,25(OH)2D production."