September 2006

Vitamin D lessens pancreatic cancer risk

Vitamin D was found to cut the risk of pancreatic cancer nearly in half, according to a study led by researchers at Northwestern and Harvard universities.

The study, one of the first known studies to use a large-scale epidemiological survey to examine the relationship between the nutrient and cancer of the pancreas, led by Halcyon Skinner, PhD, of Northwestern, appears in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.

The study examined data from two large, long-term health surveys and found that taking the U.S. recommended daily allowance of vitamin D (400 IU/day) reduced the risk of pancreatic cancer by 43 percent.

By comparison, those who consumed less than 150 IUs per day experienced a 22 percent reduced risk of cancer. Increased consumption of the vitamin beyond 400 IUs per day resulted in no significant increased benefit.

In addition to Vitamin D, the researchers also measured the association between pancreatic cancer and the intakes of calcium and retinol (vitamin A). Calcium and retinol intakes showed no association with pancreatic cancer risk, although retinol is an antagonist of vitamin D’s ability to influence mineral balances and bone integrity. For that reason, further research is necessary to determine if vitamin D ingestion from dietary sources, like eggs, liver and fatty fish or fortified dairy products, or through sun exposure might be preferable to multi-vitamin supplements, which contain retinol.

American Association for Cancer Research, www.aacr.org

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