Higher levels of vitamin D is associated with a lower risk of liver cancer

Study found higher levels of vitamin D is associated with a lower risk of liver cancer

In a large case-cohort study published this week in the journal BMJ, researchers at the National Cancer Center, Tokyo suggest a higher concentration of vitamin D in men and women is associated with a lower risk of overall cancer, including liver cancer.

However, the lower risk associated with higher levels of vitamin D seemed to show a ceiling effect, suggesting exceeding vitamin D levels beyond an optimal level may provide no additional benefit; A potential ceiling effect observed in our study may suggest that no additional benefit would accrue when a certain concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D is exceeded.

Quick Links

Link to the full-text BMJ article, read a patient fact sheet all about vitamin D from the National Institutes Of Health, finally a nice summary is over at Healio, and an in-depth look at the study for patients is available over at NHS; Vitamin D may reduce the risk of some cancers, additional coverage can be found in the media as well.

Full-Text Article

Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and subsequent risk of total and site specific cancers in Japanese population: large case-cohort study within Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study cohort

Sanjeev Budhathoki, staff scientist1, Akihisa Hidaka, staff scientist1, Taiki Yamaji, section head,1, Norie Sawada, section head1, Sachiko Tanaka-Mizuno, associate professor2, Aya Kuchiba, section head3 4, Hadrien Charvat, staff scientist1, Atsushi Goto, section head1, Satoshi Kojima, manager5, Natsuki Sudo, researcher5, Taichi Shimazu, section head1, Shizuka Sasazuki, division chief1, Manami Inoue, division chief1, Shoichiro Tsugane, director1, Motoki Iwasaki, division chief1 for the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study Group
BMJ 2018; 360 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k671

(Published 07 March 2018)

Cite this as: BMJ 2018;360:k671

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the association between pre-diagnostic circulating vitamin D concentration and the subsequent risk of overall and site specific cancer in a large cohort study.

Design

Nested case-cohort study within the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study cohort.

Setting

Nine public health centre areas across Japan.

Participants

3301 incident cases of cancer and 4044 randomly selected subcohort participants.

Exposure

Plasma concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D measured by enzyme immunoassay. Participants were divided into quarters based on the sex and season specific distribution of 25-hydroxyvitamin D among subcohorts. Weighted Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate the multivariable adjusted hazard ratios for overall and site specific cancer across categories of 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration, with the lowest quarter as the reference.

Main outcome measure Incidence of overall or site specific cancer.
Results

Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was inversely associated with the risk of total cancer, with multivariable adjusted hazard ratios for the second to fourth quarters compared with the lowest quarter of 0.81 (95% confidence interval 0.70 to 0.94), 0.75 (0.65 to 0.87), and 0.78 (0.67 to 0.91), respectively (P for trend=0.001). Among the findings for cancers at specific sites, an inverse association was found for liver cancer, with corresponding hazard ratios of 0.70 (0.44 to 1.13), 0.65 (0.40 to 1.06), and 0.45 (0.26 to 0.79) (P for trend=0.006). A sensitivity analysis showed that alternately removing cases of cancer at one specific site from total cancer cases did not substantially change the overall hazard ratios.

Conclusions

In this large prospective study, higher vitamin D concentration was associated with lower risk of total cancer. These findings support the hypothesis that vitamin D has protective effects against cancers at many sites.
Full- Text Article: http://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k671

National Institutes Of Health 

Vitamin D Fact Sheet for Consumers
In general, young people have higher blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D than older people and males have higher levels than females. By race, non-Hispanic blacks tend to have the lowest levels and non-Hispanic whites the highest. The majority of Americans have blood levels lower than 75 nmol/L (30 ng/mL).

In The Media

Behind The Headlines -NHS
Vitamin D may reduce the risk of some cancers

Newsweek
Vitamin D May Reduce Cancer Risk, New Study Finds

Healio

Higher vitamin D concentration lowers risk for overall, liver cancer
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