Smokers: Vitamin D Deficiency may Lead to Cancer

A new study has revealed that decreased levels of vitamin D may predispose smokers to developing tobacco-related cancer.

This study illustrates that simple vitamin D blood tests and supplements have the potential to improve smokers' health.

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In this new research, Afzal et al. measured plasma vitamin D levels in blood samples collected in 1981-1983 from 10,000 Danes from the general population. They then followed the study participants for up to 28 years through the Danish Cancer Registry.

Of the participants, 1,081 eventually developed a tobacco-related cancer. The researchers determined that the median vitamin D concentration among these participants was only 14.8 ng/mL, versus the higher 16.4 ng/mL median concentration found for all participants together.

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These results showed for the first time that the risk of tobacco-related cancers as a group is associated with lower concentrations of vitamin D.

The data also indicate that tobacco smoke chemicals may influence vitamin D metabolism and function, while vitamin D may conversely modify the carcinogenicity of tobacco smoke chemicals.

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If further research confirms this, it would be consistent with previous studies demonstrating the anti-tumorigenic effects of vitamin D derivatives, as well as the correlation of vitamin D deficiency with favorable cancer-forming conditions and increased susceptibility to tobacco smoke carcinogens.

Interestingly, though, low vitamin D levels were not connected with risk of other cancer types.

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"Our analyses show that the association between lower concentrations of plasma vitamin D and higher risk of cancer may be driven by tobacco-related cancer as a group, which has not been shown before," stated author Borge G. Nordestgaard, MD, DMSc.

"This is important for future studies investigating the association between plasma vitamin D and risk of cancer," he added.

The research has been published online in Clinical Chemistry, the journal of AACC.

Source-ANI