Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Low Vitamin D Associated with Colon Cancer

Low Vitamin D Associated with Colon Cancer

http://www.cpmedical.net/breaking_news_page/low-vitamin-d-associated-with-colon-cancer?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ProThera,%20Inc.%28newsletters@prothera.com%29&utm_content=Breaking+News+Practitioner+7-14+New

A study epublished in March 2015 indicates that low plasma vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. In the U.S., colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer, excluding skin cancers, and is the second leading cause of cancer-related death when data from men and women are combined.

Researchers evaluated 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels [25(OH)D] in 274 women with colorectal cancer and 274 control subjects. The subjects were matched for age, ethnicity, fasting status at the time of blood collection, time of day when blood was drawn, and month of blood draw.

Mean 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were lower in the women with colorectal cancer compared to the control subjects. More specifically, women with the highest 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels had a 55% decreased risk of colorectal cancer compared to the women with the lowest vitamin D levels. Additionally, women with higher 25-hydroxyvitamin D had a 60% decreased risk of mortality from colorectal cancer compared to the subjects with the lowest levels.

The researchers stated, "In this cohort of healthy women, we found a significant inverse association between prediagnostic 25(OH)D levels and risk of incident colorectal cancer, and a borderline significant inverse association between prediagnostic 25(OH)D levels and colorectal cancer mortality. These results support a possible association between plasma 25(OH)D and risk of colorectal cancer in women."

Reference:

Chandler PD, et al. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2015 Mar 26. [Epub ahead of print.]

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