Can you explain how Vitamin D helps stop tumor growth?
There are many ways that Vitamin D helps your body fight off cancer. In this series of articles, we will dive deeper into some of the mechanisms.
Knowledge is power, and in this case, this knowledge could save your life or the life of a family member.
Anti-Cancer Mechanism of the Day:
Inhibiting Tumor Angiogenesis aka Stopping tumors from creating new blood vessels.
Every cell needs a blood supply that will provide nutrients and oxygen, and this includes tumors. In order for a group of cancer cells (tumor) to grow and proliferate, it will need a source of fuel. One scary aspect of cancer cells is that they can actually cause the body to grow new blood vessels just to support the tumor. New blood vessel creation is called angiogenesis.
Angiogenesis for non-cancerous tissues can be a great thing. If you grow your muscles, new blood vessels for those muscles are crucial. If an artery to your heart is blocked, the heart will grow new vessels to make up for the blocked one.
Angiogenesis for tumors is deadly. Anything that inhibits or stops tumor angiogenesis is going to be advantageous for the body's battle against that cancer.
Vitamin D and tumor angiogenesis inhibition
Let's look at three of the many studies available:
A study published in 2011 in the Indian Journal of Pharmacology discussed the role of Vitamin D in inhibiting tumor angiogenesis in this direct quote:
"One of the anticancer actions of vitamin D is inhibition of tumor
angiogenesis, which is highly beneficial in causing tumor
regression, and inhibition of tumor growth."
Another study published in 2005 in the journal Angiogenesis discussed how a protein that binded to Vitamin D "acts as a potent anti-angiogenic factor and inhibits tumor growth in vivo".
A paper published in 2019 in Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B discusses Vitamin D's role in suppressing tumor angiogenesis and further goes on to say:
"Recent epidemiological and clinical studies strongly support that
vitamin D supplementation is associated
with reduced cancer risk and favorable prognosis".
Cancer is the second leading disease killer in America. Anything you can do to help the body prevent and fight off the proliferation of cancer cells is going to give you an advantage in winning that war against cancer.
These statements have clearly not been evaluated by the FDA. Consult with a trusted and knowledgeable functional medicine doctor before taking any action with your health.