Over 4 Percent of Vitamin D Deficient People Developed Cancer in Studythedigitalchaps

by

[ad_1]

Colorectal cancer was the most common cancer among people with vitamin D deficiency, followed by cancers of the liver, breast, and lungs.

More than 4 percent of people suffering from vitamin D deficiency were found to have developed cancer, with the cancer rate worsening as age increased, according to a recent study.

The study, published in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal on Dec. 7, analyzed 5,242 people from Taiwan with vitamin D deficiency. The development of new-onset cancer (cancer in its beginning stages) was seen in 229 patients, representing 4.37 percent of individuals in the study. According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the annual rate of new cancers in the United States among the general population in 2020 was 403 per 100,000 individuals or 0.4 percent.

The study found that the cancer rate was higher among older populations.

While vitamin D deficient patients older than 65 had a new-onset cancer rate of 7.74 percent, this dropped to 5.35 percent among those aged 50 to 65 years, and 1.88 percent among people younger than 50 years.

Out of the 229 patients with cancer, the most prevalent was colorectal cancer, recorded in 32 patients.

This was followed by cancers of the liver, breast, lungs, hematopoietic system, thyroid, cervical, ovarian, and uterine. Other cancers like stomach, skin, pancreatic, fallopian tube, and kidney registered 10 or fewer patients each.

Related Stories

Popular Weight Loss Drugs Linked to Lower Colorectal Cancer Risk: Study

In the study, researchers analyzed comorbidities using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score. Comorbidity refers to the simultaneous existence of more than one disease or medical condition in an individual.

CCI is a way of categorizing comorbidities, which in this study was used to grade the severity of comorbid conditions into three groups—CCI value of zero, CCI value of one to two, and CCI value of three or higher.

The researchers found that when the CCI score was more than three, patients with vitamin D deficiency had a “significantly higher cancer incidence rate,” with 8.03 percent of such individuals developing the disease. The cancer rate fell to 6.26 percent for patients with a CCI score of one or two, and declined to 3.18 percent for a CCI score of zero.

Vitamin D patients with comorbidities of diabetes had a higher cancer incidence rate than those who did not have diabetes. Patients with liver diseases showed a 1.62-fold risk of cancer compared to people who did not suffer from such diseases.

Mortality Rates


In total, there were 402 deaths among the 5,242 patients. Of the total deaths, 78 were accounted for by cancer patients.

Men and patients over 65 who had vitamin D deficiency and cancer had a higher all-cause and cancer-specific mortality rates. Female patients with vitamin D deficiency and cancer had a lower cancer-specific mortality risk compared to men.

Vitamin D deficient patients older than 65 had a higher all-cause mortality risk compared to younger patients. Those with diabetes had a 3.06-fold all-cause mortality and 3.11-fold cancer-specific mortality compared to those without the condition.

Patients with a history of cancer and dementia had a “significantly higher” all-cause and cancer-specific mortality risk than their counterparts without dementia.

Since older age and diabetes were associated with both increased cancer incidence and mortality, “targeted vitamin D supplementation in these populations may represent an effective and cost-efficient approach to reducing the burden of cancer and promoting overall health,” the study suggested.

The researchers noted that vitamin D has demonstrated “anti-cancer activity through various mechanisms.” This includes inhibiting tumor angiogenesis, enhancing the DNA repair process, anti-inflammatory properties, and exerting antioxidative effects.

“These mechanisms collectively underscore the potential role of vitamin D in cancer prevention and support the importance of further investigation, particularly in the context of supplementation.”

The study admitted to certain limitations. For instance, blood samples from the patients were not necessarily drawn near the time of cancer diagnosis, which could have affected results of the links between vitamin D deficiency and cancer risk.

Plus, data on patients’ tobacco and alcohol use status, family history of cancer, and body mass index were not accounted for, which could impact the incidence and mortality rate of cancer.

The “main strength” of the study is that it uses nationwide population data, which provides “comprehensive and representative data” for analysis.

The authors received funding from Taiwan’s Chi Mei Medical Center to conduct the study. No conflict of interest was reported.

Vitamin D Cancer Studies

Multiple other studies have suggested positive links between vitamin D and countering cancer. A November 2020 study published in the JAMA Network looked at 25,871 patients and the effect of vitamin D supplementation.

It found that providing patients with vitamin D “reduced the incidence of advanced (metastatic or fatal) cancer,” with the strongest risk reduction found among people with normal weight. No risk reduction was observed among obese or overweight individuals.

The results of a clinical trial published in 2017 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology showed the effects of supplementing high doses of vitamin D in chemotherapy patients. It found that vitamin D could delay the progression of metastatic colorectal cancer.

In the patient group exposed to high doses of vitamin D, subjects experienced a median delay of 13 months before their cancer worsened. In the low-dose group, this was lower at 11 months.

Moreover, patients in the high-dose group were 36 percent less likely to face disease progression or death during a follow-up period of 22.9 months.

[ad_2]