|
E-mail this page to a friend!
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Vitamin D Does Not Deter Cancer Deaths but Does
Reduce Colon Cancer Risk
Highly hyped vitamin D takes a blow from massive
study but not dead yet
 Oct. 30, 2007 Vitamin D has received considerable
favorable attention lately, primarily as a way to stop cancer, but that
came crashing down today with the release of a large study 16,818
participants that concluded a higher vitamin D level is not associated
with a lower risk of drying from cancer. But wait, the hype is not
totally dead this study did conclude that D substantially decreases
the risk of colorectal cancer.
| |
Related Stories |
|
| |
Vitamin D Supplements Appear to Lower Death Risk
from Any Cause
Editorial: moderate sun exposure, food fortification
with vitamin D and higher-dose vitamin D supplements for adults need to
be debated
Sept. 11, 2007
Adequate Vitamin D3 Could Prevent 600,000 Breast,
Colon Cancer Cases
Aug. 22, 2007
Report Highlights Benefits of Vitamin D Supplements
for Senior Citizens
Aug. 20, 2007
Calcium, Vitamin D, Magnesium in Milk Reduce Risk of
Type 2 Diabetes
July 10, 2007
FDA Rules on Dietary Supplement Manufacturers Good
News for Boomers, Senior Citizens
July 5, 2007
Evidence Mounts that Vitamin D Provides Powerful
Cancer Protection
June 8, 2007
Vitamin D May Prevent Half
of Breast Cancers,
Two-Thirds of Colorectal Cancer
Feb. 6, 2007
Vitamin D Inhibits Progress of Some Prostate Cancers
Feb. 8, 2006
Vitamin D Intake by Older People Should be Increased
for Bone Health
Nov. 17, 2005
Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Fish, Vitamin D Fight
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
May 14, 2007
Older Women May Prevent Some Weight Gain
by taking
Calcium Plus Vitamin D
May 14, 2007
Low Vitamin D Level Linked to Physical Problems in
Older Adults
April 23, 2007
FDA Proposal Emphasizes Nutrients in Dairy, Exercise
to Fight Osteoporosis
January 6, 2007
Vitamin D Cuts Risk of Deadly Pancreatic Cancer
Almost in Half
Not determined if dietary sources or
sunlight are preferable
September 13, 2006
Read more
on
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements |
|
Several epidemiological studies have supported the
hypothesis that that vitamin D can reduce cancer mortality by decreasing
cancer incidence or improving survival. Animal and cell studies suggest
that vitamin D may reduce tumor growth and induce cancer cell death.
Diet and exposure to sunlight are the major sources of vitamin D.
D. Michal Freedman, Ph.D., of the National Cancer
Institute in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues analyzed data from the third
national Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to examine the
relationship between levels of circulating vitamin D in the blood and
cancer mortality in a group of 16,818 participants aged 17 and older.
After about a decade of follow-up, 536 participants
had died of cancer.
Cancer mortality was not related to the level of
circulating vitamin D for the overall group, nor was it related when the
researchers looked at the data by sex, race, or age. But higher levels
of vitamin D (80 nmol/L or more) were associated with a 72 percent
reduced risk of colorectal cancer mortality, compared with lower levels
(less than 50 nmol/L).
To our knowledge, this study is the first to
examine the relationship between measured serum vitamin D levels and
cancer mortality for selected site and for all sites combined, the
authors write.
In an accompanying editorial, Cindy Davis, Ph.D.,
and Johanna Dwyer, D.Sc. of the National Institutes of Health in
Bethesda, Md., discuss the complicated relationship between nutrients,
like vitamin D, and cancer. They suggest that not enough is known about
the benefits and limitations of vitamin D to use it for the prevention
of disease or death.
These findings must be put into the context of
total diet and lifestyle. There are many risk factors other than diet
for colorectal cancer, and there are many possible dietary risk factors
other than vitamin D that have been linked to cancer risk, the
editorialists write.
The study was published online October 30 in the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, which is not associated with
the U.S. governments National Cancer Institute.
Source:
Article: Freedman DM, Looker AC, Chang S-C,
Graubard BI. Prospective Study of Serum Vitamin D and Cancer Mortality
in the United States. J Natl Cancer Inst 2007; 99:1594-1602
Editorial: Davis CD, Dwyer JT. The Sunshine
Vitamin: Benefits Beyond Bone" J Natl Cancer Inst 2007; 99:1563-1565
How others are reporting it today
Vitamin D May Not Lower Cancer Deaths
By LAURAN NEERGAARD
WASHINGTON (AP) A large new study found no sign
that vitamin D lowers the overall risk of dying from cancer, injecting a
note of caution to the latest vitamin craze.
The exception: People with more vitamin D in their
blood did have a significantly lower risk of death from colorectal
cancer, supporting earlier findings.
>>
More from Associated Press
Vitamin D cuts colon cancer death risk
Updated Tue. Oct. 30 2007 4:37 PM ET
People with higher vitamin D levels in their blood
are less likely to die of colorectal cancer, U.S. researchers said
Tuesday.
But the researchers also made the surprising
discovery that the vitamin did not appear to affect the chances of dying
from any other type of cancer.
The study's results question the conclusions of
several other recent studies that have found that vitamin D can lower
the risk for many types of cancer. The Canadian Cancer Society was so
impressed by the growing body of evidence about the health benefits of
vitamin D that it recommended earlier this year that the entire adult
population of Canada begin taking vitamin D supplements.
>>
More at CTV.ca
Vitamin D No Magic Bullet for Cancer
No Impact on Cancer Death, New Research Suggests
OPINION by LEN LICHTENFELD, M.D.
We have been bombarded over the last couple of
years with scientific articles suggesting that vitamin D is the key to
improving many aspects of our health, including reducing the risks of
dying from cancer.
An article in this week's Journal of the National
Cancer Institute reminds us that perhaps we should be a bit cautious in
embracing vitamin D as "the answer" before we do more research.
The report, from the National Cancer Institute and
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, concluded that vitamin D
levels in the blood were not related to overall cancer mortality.
However, the study did find that higher levels of
vitamin D were associated with a substantial decrease in the risk of
dying from colorectal cancer, and possibly with a reduction in the risk
of dying from breast cancer.
>>
More from ABC News
Click to More Senior News on the
Front Page
Copyright: SeniorJournal.com |
