Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Vitamin D helps maintain colon health, by helping prevent cancerous cell division and promoting natural cell death. 

Cancer surpassed heart disease as the number one killer of Americans in early 2005 (1), striking an estimated 1.4 million Americans and killing close to 570,000 in 2006 (2). The National Cancer Institute estimates that nearly 42% of men and women born today will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetime (2). Cancer costs our healthcare system more than $219 billion each year (3).

Research has started to point to vitamin D as a way to help maintain cellular health, specifically colon health, by helping prevent cancerous cell division and promoting a process of natural cell death called apoptosis (4, 5). Now a new lab study (6) has specifically revealed just how vitamin D helps with colon cell health.

A previous study in humans showed that vitamin D increases levels of a protein called cystatin D in colon cancer cells (7). Building on these findings, the lab study showed that this increase of  cystatin D levels “profoundly affects” the physical makeup of the colon cancer cells by helping prevent division and spread of the cancer cells. Cystatin D also increases “cell adhesiveness”, which increases cell-to-cell communication and is one of the hallmarks of a non-cancerous cell (8).

Restating in their conclusions about human studies “strongly indicat[ing] that cystatin D activity is [decreased] during colon cancer”, the researchers state that this study “provides a rationale for [vitamin D’s] preventive and therapeutic use against colon cancer.”

Source: Valle, Noelia, et al. “Cystatin D is a candidate tumor suppressor gene induced by vitamin D in human colon cancer cells.” The Journal of clinical investigation 119.8 (2009): 2343-2358.

© 2009, American Society for Clinical Investigation

Posted August 26, 2009. 

References:

  1. “Cancer Tops Heart Disease As Number One Killer In US” posted on the Canada Health Watch website.
  2. “Leading Sites of New Cancer Cases and Deaths  – 2006 Estimates” posted on the National Cancer Institute Website
  3. “Garlic and Cancer Prevention: Fact Sheet” posted on the National Cancer Institute Website
  4. Campbell, M.J., Adorini, L. 2006. The vitamin D receptor as a therapeutic target. Expert Opin. Ther. Targets. 10:735-748.
  5. Eelen, G., et al. 2007. Mechanism and potential of the growth-inhibitory actions of vitamin D and analogs. Curr. Med. Chem. 14:1893-1910.
  6. Cystatin D is a candidate tumor suppressor gene induced by vitamin D in human colon cancer cells. Journal of Clinical Investigation, July 6, 2009.
  7. Pálmer, H.G., et al. 2003. Genetic signatures of differentiation induced by 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in human colon cancer cells. Cancer Res. 63:7799-7806.
  8. Hirohashi S.  Cell adhesion system and human cancer morphogenesis.  Cancer Sci 2003;94(7):575-81.