Low Vitamin D Levels Again Linked to Cancer

You may have seen in news reports (Washington Post, ABC News, and others on 5/16/08) about the new research out of The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center that found women who have low vitamin D levels when diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely to have a recurrence of, or to die from, the disease.

The research group consisted of 512 women recently diagnosed with localized breast cancer. Only 24% of the breast cancer patients had adequate levels of vitamin D at diagnosis. The researchers found that the risk of dying from breast cancer among the women with the lowest vitamin D levels was 75% greater than among those with levels of vitamin D considered optimal for bone health.

This research comes directly on the heels of German research that found that high levels of vitamin D reduce the risk of cancer deaths by 55%.¹ The German study involved 3299 patients who participated in the Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health study.

The two forms vitamin D that come from diet and supplements, cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) and ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) differ from the forms found in the body. These forms are converted within the body into 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the storage form of vitamin D, and 1,25-hydroxyvitamin D, the active form.

Blood levels of both 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-hydroxyvitamin D were taken at the beginning of the German study and during the follow up period, which lasted a median of 7.75 years. After adjusting for co-factors, the researchers found that those in the lowest quartile of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (the storage form) levels had a 55% greater risk of fatal cancer than those in the highest quartile. Interestingly, they did not find an association between 1,25-hydroxyvitamin D (the active form) and cancer.

The researchers concluded in their study that "these data support other studies suggesting that vitamin D supplementation might be promising for the treatment and/or prevention of cancer and are in line with the national recommendation of the Canadian Cancer Society for the supplementation of 1,000 IU/day vitamin D for all adults during winter and for persons at high risk for vitamin D deficiency all year-round." The USFDA currently recommends a daily intake of just 400IU, year-round.

Learn more about Vitamin D3 and its potential benefits, and read articles on the latest studies here.

1. Pilz, S., H. Dobnig, et al. (2008). "Low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin d predict fatal cancer in patients referred to coronary angiography." Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 17(5): 1228-33.