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Cedric F. Garland, Frank C. Garland, Edward D. Gorham, Martin Lipkin, Harold Newmark, Sharif B. Mohr, and Michael F. Holick.  The Role of Vitamin D in Cancer Prevention. American Journal of Public Health: February 2006, Vol. 96, No. 2, pp. 252-261.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2004.045260

Accepted on: Jan 18, 2005

The Role of Vitamin D in Cancer Prevention

Cedric F. Garland, DrPH, Frank C. Garland, PhD, Edward D. Gorham, PhD, MPH, Martin Lipkin, MD, Harold Newmark, ScD, Sharif B. Mohr, MPH, and Michael F. Holick, MD, PhD

Cedric F. Garland, Frank C. Garland, and Edward D. Gorham are with the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego. Cedric F. Garland, Frank C. Garland, Edward D. Gorham, and Sharif B. Mohr are with the Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, Calif. Martin Lipkin is with the Strang Cancer Prevention Center, New York, NY. Harold Newmark is with the Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ. Michael F. Holick is with the Vitamin D Laboratory, Section of Endocrinology, Nutrition and Diabetes, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass.

Peer Reviewed

Contributors C. F. Garland, F. C. Garland, and E. D. Gorham jointly developed the plan and outline of the article, prepared the first draft, and reviewed and edited subsequent drafts. S.B. Mohr and C.F. Garland jointly performed the literature review, and S. B. Mohr edited drafts of the article. M. Lipkin, H. Newmark, and M. F. Holick reviewed and edited drafts.



ABSTRACT

Vitamin D status differs by latitude and race, with residents of the northeastern United States and individuals with more skin pigmentation being at increased risk of deficiency. A PubMed database search yielded 63 observational studies of vitamin D status in relation to cancer risk, including 30 of colon, 13 of breast, 26 of prostate, and 7 of ovarian cancer, and several that assessed the association of vitamin D receptor genotype with cancer risk.

The majority of studies found a protective relationship between sufficient vitamin D status and lower risk of cancer. The evidence suggests that efforts to improve vitamin D status, for example by vitamin D supplementation, could reduce cancer incidence and mortality at low cost, with few or no adverse effects.

Cited by

Michael R.  Greenberg, PhD. (2006) The Diffusion of Public Health Innovations. American Journal of Public Health 96:2, 209-210
Online publication date: 1-Feb-2006.
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