Vitamin D May Not Affect Prostate Cancer Risk

New evidence suggests that vitamin D may not decrease the risk of prostate cancer.

The authors looked at men from seven different European countries who participated in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (1994-2000). They compared vitamin D levels of 652 men who developed prostate cancer after a four-year follow up period to 752 men who did not.

Men with the highest blood levels of vitamin D were 28 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer than those with the lowest levels. However, this difference was not statistically significant. There was still no association between vitamin D levels and prostate cancer risk after adjusting for body mass index, age of diagnosis, cancer stage or grade, calcium intake and time from blood collection to diagnosis.

The authors concluded that “the results of this large nested case-control study provide no evidence in support of a protective effect of circulating concentrations of vitamin D on the risk of prostate cancer.”

However, there is some early laboratory and human evidence that high-dose vitamin D may be beneficial in the treatment of prostate cancer. Additionally, some evidence suggests that men with genetic mutations that affect the body’s ability to process vitamin D may have an increased risk of prostate cancer when they are vitamin D deficient. This study did not indicate whether or not the participants had such mutations.

Therefore, more research is needed in order to confirm these results.

For more information about vitamin D, please visit Natural Standard’s Foods, Herbs & Supplements database.

Comments

[MMM]

Disappointing news, particularly given that the study took place over a lengthy time period and involved a large number of subjects. There is so much confusion about diagnosing and treating prostate cancer that it would have been a welcome thing to have new insights on treatment success with Vitamin D. Still, it is good that researchers are still finding that vitamin D may play a role in treatment.

A few weeks ago I also read a health news report that showed that promise for using nanoparticles of fat to help treat some types of cancer. Safety trials are being run at Georgetown University. Hopefully, prostate cancer falls into this group.

[Health Nut]

This study frustrates my because they did not address if mega doses of vitamin D supplements were given to the men or if it was a natural build up in the body. If supplements were not given and they did not take into account the men’s diets and sun absorption, then how can they determine if vitamin D truly affects prostate cancer? The vitamin D council has posted several case studies that support the theory that vitamin D may help prevent prostate cancer.

[Sophie]

I think that it is important for everyone to take vitamin D as long as it does not reach the point of toxicity in the body. People who are vitamin D deficient are not absorbing calcium in their bodies and are more likely to develop serious conditions, including cancer. I think that some people are not aware that they may not be receiving enough vitamin D. For example, some people do not get enough sunlight due to the location of where they live, or if they just choose not to go outside. Vegetarians, and especially vegans, are extremely susceptible to becoming vitamin D deficient. So if we know its important for vitamin D to be in our body, but don’t know if it actually helps with certain types of cancers, why not just take it anyway?

[Franz Oberst]

Let’s keep in mind that this study was not a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, and its results did not show statistical significance despite the very large effect size. What does that say to you? I, personally, would like to see how this study was funded and what affiliations the authors have with any drug companies, as they made their conclusion that vitamin D does not affect prostate cancer risk despite the lack of statistical significance and there is other research available about vitamin D and prostate cancer that contradicts their conclusions.

[Jose]

Sophie,

Vitamins A,D,E & K are what they call fat-soluble vitamins. If you take in too much of most vitamins (cyanocobalamin, riboflavin, etc.) you body will excrete the excess. But with the fat-soluble vitamins, this is not the case. As the name implies, the excess amounts of A,D,E & K are stored in the bodies fat cells.

The body can actually produce the precursor to vitamin D photochemically through the skin, and most foods, (like milk) are fortified with it. Vitamin D has a long half-life (20-29 days, and a large volume of distribution. The body stores vitamin D as calcidiol and toxicity can result from regular excess intake (> 2000IU per day), and may lead to hypercalcemia, excess bone loss and impaired kidney function, for example. So in short, not everybody should take it because most people’s diets have some amount of vitamin D that is adequate, especially in the summer when people spend more time in the sun.

[anonymous]

The enzyme is localized primarily in the stromal cells; these cells are the main site for the synthesis of dihydrotestosterone. All men show prostate hypertrophy as they age, especially after 70 years. The incidence of symptomatic prostatic hypertrophy is observed more in men who have western lifestyles than in men from rural areas.

[Barb E. Dahl]

Limited research has suggested that vitamin D and its synthetic analogs may be used in the treatment of cancer. According to the Natural Standard monograph, it remains unclear if vitamin D deficiency raises cancer risk or if an increased intake of vitamin D is protective against cancer. This present trial does not add anything to this question, as it did not reach statistical significance and did not investigate the source of vitamin D in the subjects. Until more prospective, randomized placebo controlled trials are done, this debate will unfortunately continue; with weak studies like this one causing the media to jump all over the topic without any substantial scientific evidence.

[Oliver Sutton]

I am not quite sure what “anonymous” means about men with “western lifestyles” versus “rural lifestyles,” as a lot of the west is, in fact, rural. And just because vitamin D may not affect prostate cancer risk doesn’t mean that there aren’t options still out there. Selenium has an evidence grade B from Natural Standard for prostate cancer prevention. Greater celandine also receives an evidence grade of B from Natural Standard for general cancer treatment/prevention.

[Generic Cialis]

Excellent post. Limited research has suggested that vitamin D and its synthetic analogs may be used in the treatment of cancer. According to the Natural Standard monograph, it remains unclear if vitamin D deficiency raises cancer risk or if an increased intake of vitamin D is protective against cancer.

[Buy Accutane]

The enzyme is localized primarily in the stromal cells; these cells are the main site for the synthesis of dihydrotestosterone. All men show prostate hypertrophy as they age, especially after 70 years.