Large Study Vitamin D Deficiency Causes Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer tumors grow faster in vitamin D deficiency
Prostate cancer is a very common form of cancer among men. If the disease is detected too late, it can be life-threatening or even fatal. American scientists have now found that prostate cancer behaves more aggressively in men who have vitamin D deficiency.

Many men die of prostate cancer every year worldwide. The disease is responsible for about ten percent of cancer deaths, making it the third most common lethal cancer in men. For a long time, medical professionals have been seeking better treatments or preventive measures. Researchers have now discovered by a major study that vitamin D deficiency makes prostate cancer more aggressive and tumors grow faster. The experts from Northwestern University in Chicago published the results of their study in the journal "Journal of Clinical Oncology".

Lack of vitamin D promotes the onset of aggressive prostate cancer. (Image: Kateryna_Kon / fotolia.com)

Men with prostate cancer should take vitamin D supplements
In a study of nearly 200 men whose prostate was removed, it was found that people with a low vitamin D level were more likely to develop fast-growing tumors. If men have vitamin D deficiency at the time of prostate surgery, they may be prescribed vitamin D supplements, researchers say. Adam Murphy from Northwestern University. The physicians have been looking for some time for a link between prostate cancer and vitamin D.

Dark-skinned people especially at risk
The study also found that black men were more likely to carry aggressive tumors and had lower levels of vitamin D than white men. Murphy. These results suggest that dark-skinned men are more likely to develop prostate cancer and die from the disease. That could be due to several factors, according to the researchers. For example, such individuals would often be more prone to vitamin D deficiency. This is due to the blocking effect of melanin on the sunlight. There might also be differences in food intake, Dr. Murphy. However, there is still no evidence for these theories. The human body receives limited vitamin D from food. The body can also build the vitamin, however, when our skin is exposed to sunlight, explain the doctors. Dark-skinned people carry more melanin in them, which should prevent sunburns.

46 percent of men with aggressive cancer have a lower vitamin D level
Men with dark skin who are low on vitamin D or who are rarely exposed to the sun should be tested for vitamin D deficiency when they are diagnosed with prostate cancer or a PSA (prostate-specific antigen), the experts say. For such people, a supplement to increase the vitamin D level is justified, explains Dr. med. Murphy. The study included 190 men. The researchers found that nearly 46 percent of the men who had aggressive cancer had a sixteen percent lower vitamin D level. If the vitamin D level is below 30 nanograms per milliliter (ng / ml) of blood, this may be associated with a higher rate of aggressive prostate cancer, the researchers explain. (As)