Vitamin D is an essential nutrient, best known for helping the body absorb calcium and maintain strong bones. However, a growing body of evidence shows that Vitamin D also bolsters immune function, strengthening the body’s defenses against infections and chronic diseases, including cancer.
A recent study published in Nutrition and Cancer shows that low, steady Vitamin D supplementation may significantly improve chemotherapy success rates in women with breast cancer. Read on to learn more about the study, which was conducted at the Botucatu School of Medicine at São Paulo State University in Brazil.
The Startling Effect of Supplementing Breast Cancer Treatment with Vitamin D
The body produces Vitamin D naturally through sunlight exposure, though the vitamin can also be obtained by consuming foods like fatty fish, egg yolks, and fortified dairy products. Still, about 1 billion people worldwide have Vitamin D deficiency, making it a highly prevalent problem across demographics. The new study published in Nutrition and Cancer explores this deficiency as it pertains to cancer care. The study asks a simple question: Since so many people are deficient in Vitamin D and Vitamin D supports immune function, could the simple act of supplementing Vitamin D improve cancer treatment outcomes?
Treating Breast Cancer Patients with Vitamin D
The randomized clinical trial involved 80 women aged 45 or older. Each of the women had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was preparing to begin neoadjuvant chemotherapy, a type of chemotherapy administered before surgical intervention to shrink tumors. The participants were split into two groups: one group receiving a daily dose of Vitamin D, and the other receiving placebo tablets. For everyday intake, the recommended daily amount of Vitamin D is 600 to 800 international units (IU) for adults; in this study, the patients receiving Vitamin D were given 2,000 IU per day. All participants underwent chemotherapy, but only the first group received daily Vitamin D supplementation alongside their treatment.
Correlation Between Supplementation and Tumor Presence
At the start of the study, most participants had low Vitamin D levels according to the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology, which recommends maintaining levels between 40 and 70 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) of blood. Most study participants had less than 20 ng/mL at the beginning of the study.
After six months, 43 percent of the patients taking Vitamin D experienced complete disappearance of their cancer following chemotherapy, versus only 24 percent of those in the placebo group. “Even with a small sample of participants, it was possible to observe a significant difference in the response to chemotherapy,” Eduardo Carvalho-Pessoa, president of the São Paulo Regional Brazilian Society of Mastology and one of the study’s authors, said in a press release. Carvalho-Pessoa also pointed out that the dosage used in the study is much lower than the target dose used to correct vitamin D deficiency. The study dosage was 2,000 IU of Vitamin D per day. The target dose for vitamin D deficiency is typically around 50,000 IU per week, or more than 7,000 IU per day. The implication is that even low doses of Vitamin D could improve cancer treatment outcomes.
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The study suggests that low doses of vitamin D could serve as an accessible, affordable, and minimally invasive supplement for individuals going through cancer chemotherapy treatment. More data is needed to determine Vitamin D’s precise efficacy in cancer treatment.
Ultimately, though, as Carvalho-Pessoa said in the release: “Vitamin D is an accessible and inexpensive option compared to other drugs used to improve the response to chemotherapy.” He added, “These are encouraging results that justify a new round of studies with a larger number of participants. This will allow a greater understanding of the role of vitamin D in increasing the response to chemotherapy treatment and, consequently, in the greater likelihood of breast cancer remission.”
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