Cancer, sunlight and vitamin D *

The sunshine vitamin has been associated with reduced risk for many chronic illnesses including cancer and cancer mortality. Epidemiologic and ecological studies have suggested that living at higher latitudes and having lower blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D are associated with increased risk for up to 15 cancers including breast, colon, lung, lymphoma, pancreatic, ovarian and prostate cancer. Most randomized controlled trials using appropriate doses of vitamin D have suggested that improvement in vitamin D status reduces risk for several cancers. Although the exact mechanism by which enhanced vitamin D status reduces risk for cancer is not completely understood, there is evidence that by raising blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D this metabolite can enter a wide variety of cells in the body and then be converted to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. The vitamin D metabolite, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, has been demonstrated to markedly reduce cellular proliferation especially of malignant cells that have a vitamin D receptor. It also induces terminal differentiation. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 is also anti-angiogenic and pro-apoptotic which also plays a role in reducing the growth and spread of malignant cells. Thus improvement in vitamin D status with sensible sun exposure, vitamin D supplementation and ingesting foods containing vitamin D is a reasonable strategy to reduce risk of malignancy.