The researchers found that mice fed a vitamin D-rich diet had increased resistance to tumors and responded better to immunotherapy treatments.
The study was carried out at the Francis Crick Institute in London, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA and the Danish University of Aalborg.
The study demonstrated that vitamin D acts in the intestine, favoring the growth of a beneficial bacteria called Bacteroides fragilis. This bacterium appears to be responsible for stimulating the immune system of mice, making them more resistant to cancer.
Previous studies have suggested a link between vitamin D deficiency and cancer risk in humans, although the evidence was inconclusive.
The researchers analyzed a data set from 1.5 million people in Denmark, which revealed a link between low levels of vitamin D and a higher risk of cancer, notes ANSA.
A separate analysis of cancer patients also suggested that people with higher levels of vitamin D were more likely to respond well to immunotherapy treatments.
“It is possible that vitamin D regulates the gut microbiome to favor a type of bacteria that confers better immunity to cancer,” explains Caetano Reis e Sousa, lead author of the study.
“This may one day be important for the treatment of cancer in humans, but further studies are needed.”
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Tags: Vitamin increase resistance cancer
