Vitamin D combined with calcium has an anti-tumor effect on lung cancer, according to a study which appeared in the journal Nutrition and Cancer.
In this study, researchers performed a systematic literature search consisting of 58,625 lung cancer cases from 40 studies. Relative risks (RRs) and hazard ratio (HRs) were pooled to evaluate the risk for developing lung cancer, disease incidence, and the mortality associated with lung cancer.
According to the results of the study, both the relative risk (RR=0.915; 95% Cl, 0.849 to 0.986) and mortality (RR= 0.718; 95% Cl, 0.530 to 0.973) of lung cancer were notably decreased due to high circulating 25(OH)D (vitamin D) level. The researchers noted that while taking vitamin D (RR=0.909; 95% Cl, 0.801 to 1.031) and calcium (RR=0.890; 95% Cl, 0.741 to 1.070) separately failed to demonstrate a protective effect against lung cancer, the combination supplement of vitamin D and calcium significantly decreased the incidence of lung cancer (RR= 0.811; 95% Cl, 0.659 to 0.999).
“High level of serum 25(OH)D could play the preventive role in lung cancer,” the researchers wrote in conclusion.
They added that “Furthermore, vitamin D could be supplemented together with calcium against lung cancer.”
