Vitamin D

Suggested

3 studies · 1 recommendation

Last updated: February 25, 2026

Suggested3 studies

Higher vitamin D levels linked to 37% lower colorectal cancer risk

Three studies encompassing over 4,700 participants support vitamin D's protective role against colorectal cancer. A nested case-control study across three prospective cohorts (NHS, HPFS, PHS) with 1,895 cases and 2,806 controls found participants with the highest plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels had a multivariate odds ratio of 0.63 (95% CI: 0.48–0.82), representing a 37% risk reduction after adjustment for confounders. Two systematic reviews reinforce this finding: one identified colorectal cancer as a primary tumor type where vitamin D and its analogues demonstrate antiproliferative, pro-differentiating, and immune modulatory effects preventing malignant transformation. A second systematic review of 105 clinical trials found calcium combined with vitamin D decreased incidence of both colorectal cancer and adenomatous polyps in at-risk patients. The converging experimental and clinical evidence positions vitamin D as a meaningful chemopreventive factor for colorectal cancer.

Evidence

Revisión sistemática utilidad de asa y calcio con o sin vitamina d en la prevención de cáncer colorrectal y la recurrencia de pólipos adenomatosos en paciente con riesgo de padecer esta patología

Authors: Lopez Gomez, Mauricio Alejandro, Lopez Narvaez, Sara Belen

Published: July 5, 2016

Across a systematic review of 105 clinical trials sourced from multiple databases (literature from 1990 onward), calcium supplementation combined with vitamin D was evaluated in patients with risk factors for colorectal cancer and adenomatous polyps. Studies in patients with prior myocardial infarction consuming calcium with vitamin D showed an association with decreased incidence of both colorectal cancer and adenomatous polyps. The review excluded patients with existing colorectal cancer, Lynch syndrome, and familial adenomatous polyposis. The authors concluded that the protective effect of vitamin D warrants further investigation to determine optimal dosing and treatment duration for chemoprevention.

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Vitamin D in cancer chemoprevention

Authors: Aiello, S, Crescimanno, M, Di Majo, D, Flandina, C, Giammanco, M, La Guardia, M, Leto, G, Tumminello, FM

Published: April 9, 2015

A systematic review of experimental and clinical studies across five major databases (ISI Web of Science, Medline, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar) examined Vitamin D's anticancer properties. Vitamin D and its metabolites showed antiproliferative, pro-differentiating, and immune modulatory effects on tumor cells in vitro, with in vivo evidence of delayed tumor growth. Colorectal cancer was explicitly identified as one of the primary human tumor types where Vitamin D and its analogues demonstrated effectiveness in preventing malignant transformation and disease progression. The review concluded these molecules hold potential as chemopreventive agents for colorectal cancer based on converging experimental and clinical evidence.

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Joint Effects of Colorectal Cancer Susceptibility Loci, Circulating 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Authors: Chan, Andrew T., Fuchs, Charles S., Giovannucci, Edward, Hazra, Aditi, Hiraki, Linda T., Joshi, Amit D., Karlson, Elizabeth W., Kraft, Peter, Ma, Jing, Ng, Kimmie, Peters, Ulrike

Published: March 26, 2014

In this nested case-control study within three prospective cohorts (NHS, HPFS, PHS) including 1895 colorectal cancer cases and 2806 controls, participants in the lowest quartile of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D had a multivariate odds ratio of 0.63 (95% CI: 0.48-0.82) for colorectal cancer compared to those in the highest quartile. This represents a 37% lower risk among those with higher vitamin D levels. The association remained significant after adjustment for confounding factors and was consistent across the meta-analysis of all three cohorts using fixed effects models.

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