Vitamin D Slows Progression of Cancer Cells

MONTREALVitamin D slows the progression of cells from premalignant to malignant states, keeping their proliferation in check, according to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers at McGill University discovered the active form of vitamin D acts by several mechanisms to inhibit both the production and function of the protein cMYC, which drives cell division and is active at elevated levels in more than half of all cancers.

For years, my lab has been dedicated to studying the molecular mechanisms of vitamin D in human cancer cells, particularly its role in stopping their proliferation," said lead author Professor John White. We discovered that vitamin D controls both the rate of production and the degradation of cMYC. More importantly, we found that vitamin D strongly stimulates the production of a natural antagonist of cMYC called MXD1, essentially shutting down cMYC function."

The researchers also applied vitamin D to the skin of mice and observed a drop in the level of cMYC and found evidence of a decrease in its function. Other mice that lacked the specific receptor for vitamin D were found to have strongly elevated levels of cMYC in a number of tissues, including skin and the lining of the colon.

"Taken together, our results show that vitamin D puts the brakes on cMYC function, suggesting that it may slow the progression of cells from premalignant to malignant states and keep their proliferation in check. We hope that our research will encourage people to maintain adequate vitamin D supplementation and will stimulate the development of large, well-controlled cancer chemoprevention trials to test the effects of adequate supplementation," White said.

For more information about vitamin D and its role in health and nutrition, check out the Vitamin D: Illuminating the Sunshine Vitamin slideshow on Food Product Design.