Content provided by American Cancer Society www.cancer.org
A study by an international group of researchers from organizations including the American Cancer Society finds that higher levels of vitamin D in the blood is associated with a lower risk for getting colorectal cancer. Previous studies have suggested a link but were inconclusive. The new study was published online June 14, 2018 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The researchers combined data from 17 prospective studies, which is a type of study that follows people over time to try to determine why some of them get a certain disease, in this case colorectal cancer. The analysis is the largest to date, using data from about 12,800 people. All participants were tested for vitamin D levels in their blood before diagnosis. Often, this measure was taken when they initially joined the study. They became part of the new analysis because they developed colorectal cancer. Another group was matched to the study group by age, race and date of blood draw. These “matched” controls were people who did not have colorectal cancer. All the blood was tested or re-tested using the same method at the same medical laboratory for consistency. [Read more…] about Vitamin D Levels Linked to Lower Colorectal Cancer Risk