Study Suggests Vitamin D Improves Survival From Colorectal Cancer
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Sources of Vitamin D
The truth is, there are some studies which suggest that dietary vitamin D does not significantly lower the risk of colorectal cancer. However, according to “A Critical Review of Studies on Vitamin D in Relation to Colorectal Cancer”, authored by William B. Grant and Cedric F. Garland, the likely reason for this is that “dietary sources provide only a portion of total vitamin D, with supplements and synthesis of vitamin D in the skin in association with solar UV-B radiation providing the balance”.
Further, in “Do sunlight and vitamin D reduce the likelihood of colon cancer?”, Cedric F Garland and Frank C Garland state that “the strong inverse association of sunlight and colon cancer raises the possibility that vitamin D, which prevents rickets, may also act in the prevention of colon cancer”.
What Next?
How do all these add up?
Colorectal cancer is today one of the major causes of death in the United States and many first world countries. Somewhat surprisingly, though, relatively little research has thus far looked into the impact of lifestyle factors on the survival prognosis of colorectal cancer patients. This includes lifestyle habits both during active cancer treatment as well as after.
With the health benefits and immune-boosting effects of sunshine and vitamin D well-documented, there is really no need to wait for bigger and better designed studies to empirically prove that vitamin D forms a useful part of the arsenal against colorectal cancer. Instead, as part of an overall healthy lifestyle, it is an extremely good idea to spend some time out in the open, without sunscreen, to enjoy moderate sun exposure.
Throw in some exercise — according to the Textbook of Cancer Epidemiology, physical activity is also linked to better survival rates from several types of cancer, including colorectal cancer — and we have got a much more potent mix in the battle against colon and rectal cancers.
Main sources:
Circulating 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Survival in Patients With Colorectal Cancer (http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/18/2984)
Circulating 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels Predict Survival in Early-Stage Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients (http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/25/5/479)
Optimal vitamin D status for colorectal cancer prevention: a quantitative meta analysis (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17296473?dopt=Abstract)
Calcium and Vitamin D Intake and Risk of Colorectal Cancer: The Multiethnic Cohort Study (http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/165/7/784)
Plasma vitamin D and risk of colorectal cancer: the Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study (http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v97/n3/abs/6603892a.html)
Reviews: A Critical Review of Studies on Vitamin D in Relation to Colorectal Cancer (http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all?content=10.1207/s15327914nc4802_1)
Do sunlight and vitamin D reduce the likelihood of colon cancer? (http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/35/2/217)
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