Taking vitamin D supplements could slow or even reverse the progression of less aggressive or low-grade prostate tumors , without the need for surgery or radiation , according to the latest study from the Medical University of South Carolina (USA). ).
Tumors considered aggressive require surgical removal of the prostate gland or radiotherapy treatment. The less aggressive ones are usually kept under “active surveillance” through annual biopsies to see if the cancer has advanced or not and act accordingly. Despite this, this uncertainty about what might happen creates an environment of unhealthy anxiety that leads many men to undergo elective prostatectomy .
Thirty-seven men who wanted to undergo elective prostatectomy participated in the research. All of them were randomly given the treatment of 4,000 U (100mg) of vitamin D per day or a placebo. After 60 days, the prostate glands were removed from all of them and subjected to examination.
Preliminary results revealed that many of the men who received vitamin D showed improvements in their prostate tumors , while the tumors in the group that took the placebo stayed the same or worsened. As if this were not enough, vitamin D caused drastic changes in the expression levels of many lipids and proteins in the cell, particularly those involved in inflammation.
“We do not yet know if vitamin D treats or prevents prostate cancer. At the very least, what it can do is prevent low-grade prostate cancers from spiking, “explains Bruce Hollis, study leader.
