Vitamin D Supplements May Reduce Risk Of Developing Advanced Cancer

FOR many years, investigators have been trying to pin down the tantalizing connection between vitamin D and cancer. Epidemiological studies have found that people who live near the equator, where exposure to sunlight produces more vitamin D, have lower incidence and death rates from certain cancers.

In cancer cells in the lab and in mouse models, vitamin D has also been found to slow cancer progression. But the results of randomized clinical trials in humans haven’t yielded a clear answer.

The Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL), which concluded in 2018, found that vitamin D did not reduce overall incidence of cancer, but hinted at a decreased risk of cancer deaths. Now, in a secondary analysis of VITAL, a team led by investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital has narrowed in on the connection between taking vitamin D supplements and risk of metastatic or fatal cancer.

https://289131c1cd5330473816a7d610a22a62.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html In a paper