Vitamin D for cancer prevention
Taking vitamin D after 50 helps to avoid cancer and prolongs life for years
Georgy Golovanov, Hi-tech+
Scientists from Germany have calculated that if all residents of the country over the age of 50 take vitamin D, it will be possible to avoid up to 30,000 deaths among cancer patients and extend the cumulative life expectancy by 300,000 years. In addition, the population will save on medical expenses.
Published in November 2020, the results of a secondary analysis of the randomized clinical trial VITAL showed an overall 17 percent reduction in the risk of metastatic or terminal cancer and a 38 percent decrease among patients with normal BMI. At the same time, it is not clear which biological mechanisms underlie this phenomenon.
Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) transferred these figures to the situation in the country, according to a press release Vitamin D supplementation: possible gain in life years plus cost savings.
Three meta-analyses of clinical studies carried out in recent years have concluded that dietary supplements with vitamin D are associated with a reduction in mortality from all types of cancer by about 13%.
Vitamin D deficiency is a common phenomenon among the elderly, especially among cancer patients.
German scientists have estimated that taking this drug will save several tens of thousands of euros on procedures. The calculations are based on the daily intake of 1000 units of vitamin D at a cost of 25 euros per year per person and on the cost of cancer treatment.
A 13% reduction in mortality in Germany, translated into absolute values, gives 30,000 cases, and the total cost of treatment is 1.15 billion euros. Compared to the price of vitamin D, the annual savings amount to 254 million euros.
The article by Niedermaier et al. Vitamin D supplementation to the older adult population in Germany has the cost‐saving potential of preventing almost 30,000 cancer deaths per year published in the journal Molecular Oncology – VM.
The authors of the study suggest considering measures to provide the population with vitamin D on a larger scale. For example, as they do in Finland, where vitamin is added to food. They also recommend spending more time outdoors in sunny weather, at least 2-3 times a week for 12 minutes, with an open face and hands.
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