An analysis of 10 randomized clinical trials with 79,055 patients showed that vitamin D can reduce cancer mortality by 13%. Researchers presented these findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, IL, on June 3, 2019. Specifically, these studies showed that patients on vitamin D supplementation for at least 3 years had a reduction in their the cancer mortality by 13% in those who had a follow-up for 4 years or more. The researchers compared the vitamin D group to a placebo group. When it came to incidence of cancer, there was no improvement by vitamin D supplementation. But a significant reduction of mortality rates by 13% of various cancer types is an important finding.
How significant is the reduction in cancer mortality?
According to the National Cancer Institute an estimated 1,735,350 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in the United States in 2018 and 609,640 people were dying from the disease.
The recent findings that vitamin D can reduce cancer mortality by 13% is very important. This means that 79,253 cancer patients can survive with vitamin D supplementation. These cancer patients survive, but there was no cancer cure. Instead of 609,640 patients dying only 530,387 patients actually die when they all take vitamin D3 as a supplement. There is no limitation to one year only, but the eduction of cancer mortality can happen every year, provided the cancer patients take vitamin D regularly. Another advantage of vitamin D treatment is that it can be combined with surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Vitamin D does not prevent cancer
The cancer researchers pointed out that vitamin D did not reduce the incidence of cancer. This means vitamin D is not preventing cancer from occurring. But the fact that vitamin D is reducing mortality from existing cancer is still very meaningful.
Vitamin D Can Reduce Cancer Mortality
Conclusion
Vitamin D3 is a useful supplement that has anti-inflammatory effects. The latest research presented here showed the following. When researchers followed cancer patients for 4 years or more, vitamin D could reduce mortality by 13% per year. In the US alone where 609,640 patients are dying from cancer every year this means that 79,253 cancer patients could survive when they take vitamin D supplementation. The end effect is that only 530,387 cancer patients will die every year in the US, if they take vitamin D regularly. The researchers were disappointed to note that vitamin D did not prevent cancer significantly, but for vitamin D to be a reduction of mortality by 13% is still an important new finding.
