Acting on the results of a previous study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, which found a reduction in Gleason scores (which are used to grade tumor aggressiveness) in prostate cancer patients supplemented with vitamin D over one year, Bruce Hollis, PhD, and colleagues set out to determine whether the vitamin could decrease tumor aggressiveness during the 60-day required waiting period between prostate biopsy and surgery to remove the gland.
Examination of the excised glands revealed improvement among a number of men in the vitamin D-supplemented group, in contrast with no improvement or worsening of disease in those who received a placebo.
The trial randomized 37 men scheduled for elective prostatectomy to receive 4,000 international units (IU) vitamin D or a placebo for 60 days.
The vitamin D group also exhibited changes in cell lipids and proteins, including those involved in inflammation. “Cancer is associated with inflammation, especially in the prostate gland,” stated Dr Hollis, of the Medical University of South Carolina. “Vitamin D is really fighting this inflammation within the gland.”
The bottom line, make sure your Vit D status is optimal
Leave a Reply