“Game Changer for Vitamin D”
By BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Despite this, some
scientists have remained doubtful about whether this nutrient indeed has any
benefit in reducing cancer risk, morbidity, and mortality. This skepticism is
bolstered by several
However, in a new commentary published in the
journal JAMA Network Open, Michael F. Holick, Ph.D., MD,
professor of medicine, pharmacology, physiology & biophysics, and molecular
medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine,
explores the controversy as to whether improving vitamin D status has any
benefit for reducing the risk of developing cancer as well as improving
relapse-free and mortality outcomes.
He believes the results of the Kanno et al. study support
the significant body of associated evidence and clinical studies concluding
that improvement in vitamin D status through vitamin D supplementation can be
an effective strategy for improving survival outcomes of cancers, especially of
the digestive tract including colorectal cancer.
Factors Influencing Vitamin D’s Effect on Cancer
“We now recognize that there are a variety of variables
that can influence how vitamin D prevents and responds to cancer. For example,
being at a normal weight and taking vitamin D improves your ability to survive
cancer. Other factors include the patient’s genetic makeup and how the patient
utilizes and breaks down vitamin D,” explains Holick, corresponding author of
the piece.
The study by Kanno et. al. provides further insight. The p53 gene produces the p53 protein to prevent cells from becoming malignant. Cancer cleverly mutates this gene and the mutated p53 protein helps the cancer to grow and become immune to cancer therapy.
Kanno et. al. found that patients
whose immune system is on high alert and produces antibodies to control the
production and release of this mutated p53 protein were more likely, by more
than 2.5 fold, to improve their chances of surviving the cancer if they also
took daily 2000 IUs vitamin D3 compared to patients who had the antibodies but
did not take vitamin D supplementation. Those patients who did not produce the
antibodies received no survival benefit by taking the vitamin D supplement.”
Future Directions in Research
Holick believes it would be worthwhile to conduct a
retrospective analysis for serum p53 antibodies and the immunohistochemical
presence for p53 in histologic cancer samples of breast, prostate, and other
cancer studies that found no benefit when they evaluated the potential impact
of vitamin D supplementation on improving cancer survival.
More importantly, Holick believes future studies
evaluating vitamin D supplementation for the prevention and improvement of
cancer outcomes should now include not only many of the variables mentioned
above, but also include a measurement for p53 antibodies in the blood and
immunohistochemical presence of p53 in cancer tissue samples.
Dosage and Implications
According to Holick, it is important to recognize that
most of the studies that have shown that vitamin D3 supplementation improves
cancer survival provided patients with at least 2000 IUs vitamin D3. This
amount of vitamin D3 substantially improves the vitamin D status (serum
concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D) to a concentration above 30 ng/mL. This
amount of vitamin D3 was not reported to cause any toxicity
“It is well-documented that in order to achieve a
circulating concentration of 25(OH)D above 30 ng/mL requires a vitamin D intake
of at least 2000 IUs daily, an amount that cannot be achieved from diet alone
but requires vitamin D supplementation. Although vitamin D is the sunshine
vitamin you cannot get enough vitamin D from sun exposure unless you expose
more than 20% of your body surface to sunlight almost daily like the Maasai and
Hazda do in equatorial Africa,” said Holick.
Reference: “The Death D-Fying Vitamin D3 for Digestive
Tract Cancers—The p53 Antibody Connection” by Michael F. Holick, 22 August
2023, JAMA Network Open.
DOI:
10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28883