Vitamin D may Aid Colon Cancer More than Other Cancer Patients

In a prospective study, "serum vitamin D" levels were unrelated to cancer mortality, but colon cancer levels were lower among those with higher serum vitamin D levels.
Previously Vitamin D, believed to be useful to protect against cancer by many people, may not be a strong anti-cancer agent except for colon cancer, according to a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The study was conducted by Dr. D. Michal Freedman, from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and his colleagues, Anne C. Looker, Shih-Chen Chang, Barry I. Graubard. They analyzed data from the third national Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to examine the relationship between levels of circulating vitamin D in the blood and cancer mortality in a group of 16,818 participants aged 17 and older

"Over the past several years, a number of publications have suggested that vitamin D can reduce deaths from various forms of cancer," said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. "This is a further bit of evidence that leads us to call for further investigations before we make recommendations for the general population."

The Study is published on Journal of The National Cancer Institute Nov 7, 2007

Tags: Cancer, Vitamin D, Serum Vitamin D