Vitamin D for Lung Cancer Defense

Lung cancer patients with low levels of vitamin D may be less likely to survive, a recent study from Clinical Cancer Research suggests.

The study focused on CYP24A1, an enzyme involved in breaking down vitamin D. In tests on tissue specimens from 86 lung cancer patients, researchers found that CYP24A1 levels were up to 50 times higher in lung cancer tissue than in normal lung tissue. The higher the levels of CYP24A1, the study’s authors note, the more likely the tumors were to be aggressive. What’s more, patients with high levels of CYP24A1 had nearly half the survival rate as patients with low CYP24A1 levels.

Past studies have shown that people with low levels of vitamin D are more likely to develop cancer and less likely to survive the disease. Since it can be challenging to get your fill of this essential nutrient solely through food sources and sunlight exposure, talk to your doctor about using dietary supplements to boost your levels of vitamin D.

References^{^} Lung cancer (altmedicine.about.com)^{^} vitamin D (altmedicine.about.com)^{^} study (clincancerres.aacrjournals.org)^{^}