Don’t Burn a Hole in Your Pocket! Vitamin D and Calcium Do Not Prevent Colon Cancer

Daily supplementation with vitamin D3, calcium or both after removal of colorectal adenomas did not significantly reduce the risk of its recurrence.

Calcium which is known to prevent cancer is not helping in curbing the growth of colon polyps and neither calcium nor vitamin D may curb the risk of colon cancer after colonoscopy, revealed a new study.

Study’s lead researcher Dr. John Baron from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine said that it was no less than a shock to find that calcium and vitamin D have not worked in removing polyps.

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The study analyzed around 2,260 people aged between 45 and 75 at 11 medical centers. They were asked follow one of four regimens namely 1,000 IU of vitamin D3; 1,200 mg of calcium; both of them and placebo.

Baron noted, “Daily supplementation with vitamin D3 (1000 IU), calcium (1200 mg), or both after removal of colorectal adenomas did not significantly reduce the risk of recurrent colorectal adenomas over a period of 3 to 5 years.”

Participants were followed for three to five years and it was found that 43 to 45% of all study participants had developed a polyp despite the fact that they have taken calcium, vitamin D, both or neither.

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Dr. Baron said, “We can say with some confidence that at this (1,000 IU) dose, which is a very commonly used dose now, vitamin D does not affect colorectal carcinogenesis. The calcium story is somewhat more complicated given the strength of the previous evidence”.

The researchers said that it is not known for now that if by having larger doses of vitamin D or increasing the total time of supplementation will help provide protections against colorectal polyp recurrence and colorectal cancer.

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Source-Medindia

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