Vitamin D plays a crucial role in the calcium and phosphorus absorption. It is essential for the development and maintenance of bones and teeth, the immune system, brain health, and for regulating inflammation.
In recent years, several studies have been conducted to understand if Vitamin D can be used to prevent and treat different types of cancers, including prostate, skin, breast, and bowel cancers.
Moreover, earlier research shows that there is a link between high vitamin D levels and decreased risk of developing cancer and a reduced cancer mortality rate. Scientists have also analysed the impact of using Vitamin D with a newer type of cancer treatment called immunotherapy.
A team of researchers from the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute at The University of Manchester in the U.K. have found that vitamin D helps balance the gut microbiome. They also found that this balance can improve the way cancer immunotherapy treatments work on a mouse model.
In immunotherapy, the body’s own immune system is used to help improve its ability to fight cancer. Different types of immunotherapy treatments include monoclonal antibodies, immune checkpoint inhibitors, immune system modulators, cancer vaccines, and adoptive cell therapies like CAR T-cell therapy.
According to Evangelos Giampazolias, PhD, group leader of the Cancer Immunosurveillance Group at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, the University of Manchester and lead author of this study, although immunotherapy has revolutionalised cancer care, not all patients respond equally well to this therapy.
According to Giampazolias, “vitamin D promotes cancer immunity by influencing the communities of ‘friendly’ microorganisms that live inside the animals”. The researchers emphasised that vitamin D plays an important role in preventing cancers.
How much vitamin D is needed to reduce cancer risk?
The researchers maintain that it’s important for vitamin D levels to be within the normal range. This will help not only in preventing cancers but also because it plays a very important role in bone density, reduction in fractures, and reducing the chance of osteoporosis.
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, levels of 50 nanomoles per liter of vitamin D or above are the healthy range for bone and overall health for most people. Levels below 30 nanomoles per liter or above 125 nanomoles per liter may cause health issues.
