Cancer risk can be reduced by this common vitamin: study

Vitamin D is widely known for boosting bone health, muscle strength and immune function, but it also has a range of other benefits — including cancer prevention.A new study published in the journal Nutrients suggests that the common vitamin is effective in preventing and treating colorectal cancer.Hungarian researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 50 previous studies that included more than 1.3 million participants, focusing on vitamin D’s potential effects on cancer risk, immunity and inflammation.“The most important finding is that vitamin D plays a critical role in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer,” study author János Tamás Varga, PhD, associate professor at Semmelweis University in Budapest, told Fox News Digital.“Our research clearly supports the strong correlation between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (the primary form of vitamin D) levels and cancer outcomes.”Cancer patients with low vitamin D levels showed poorer prognoses.Vitamin D has been shown to reduce inflammation, promote the death of cancer cells, inhibit tumor growth and enhance immune response, the researchers found. “These mechanisms significantly influence the pathophysiology of colorectal cancer,” Varga noted. In addition to prevention, vitamin D supplementation was also shown to improve survival rates among patients with advanced-stage colorectal cancer, according to the research.“The results suggest that the effect of vitamin D may depend on factors such as the dosage, the individual condition of the patients and the duration of treatment,” Vargas added.The American Cancer Society (ACS) has previously referenced studies suggesting that vitamin D could lower cancer risk, particularly colorectal cancer.“However, large studies have not found that vitamin D supplements lower the risk of colorectal polyps (pre-cancerous growths) or cancer,” the ACS stated on its website.One important limitation of the research is that the studies included in the analysis use...