Role of vitamin d in the prevention of pancreatic cancer.

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is a malignancy of poor prognosis which is mostly diagnosed at advanced stages. Current treatment modalities are very limited creating great interest for novel preventive and therapeutic options. Vitamin D seems to have a protective effect against pancreatic cancer by participating in numerous proapoptotic, antiangiogenic, anti-inflammatory, prodifferentiating, and immunomodulating mechanisms. 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] serum concentrations are currently the best indicator of vitamin D status. There are three main sources of vitamin D: sun exposure, diet,and dietary supplements. Sun exposure has been associated with lower incidence of pancreatic cancer in ecological studies. Increased vitamin D levels seem to protect against pancreatic cancer, but caution is needed as excessive dietary intake may have opposite results. Future studies will verify the role of vitamin D in the prevention and therapy of pancreatic cancer and will lead to guidelines on adequate sun exposure and vitamin D dietary intake.

• Authors: Pubudu Bulathsinghala, Kostas N Syrigos, Muhammad W Saif
• Journal: Journal of nutrition and metabolism (J Nutr Metab) Vol. 2010 Pg. 721365 ( 2010) ISSN: 2090-0732 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 21274445 (Publication Type: Journal Article)