Vitamin D Status Predicts Colorectal Cancer Survival: New Study

Those with higher vitamin D levels after surgery were more likely to survive colorectal cancer in a recent study published in the Journal of Oncology, the Vitamin D Council reports. Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer diagnosed in both men and women, according to the American Cancer Society.

Because vitamin D status may vary from pre-diagnosis to post-treatment and cancer may affect the way the body metabolizes vitamin D, the researchers from the University of Edinburgh examined blood serum levels after surgery to remove cancerous tissue. After taking postoperative blood samples from nearly 1600 participants, those with the highest postsurgical vitamin D levels were 32 percent less likely to die from the cancer and 30 percent less likely to die from any cause, compared to those with the lowest levels during the follow-up period. Interestingly, vitamin D status had the most significant impact on stage 2 cancers, where the tumor has grown but the disease has not yet spread.

“Mortality was about one third lower in the patient group with the highest compared with the lowest plasma 25-OHD tertiles. The direction of protective effect was consistent across different strata of patients,” the researchers wrote.

Previously, the Vitamin D Council noted the apparent relationship between sun exposure and colorectal, as denoted by this map, showing rates throughout the world. As you can see, while there are outliers, there is a clear relationship between distance from the equator and colorectal cancer rates.

Click here for more on the current study from the Vitamin D Council.

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