An article recently published in the Ageing Research Reviews focuses on this issue. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the effectiveness of vitamin D3 supplementation on cancer mortality in the general population and the prognosis of cancer patients. The analysis included 14 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 104,727 participants and 2015 cancer deaths. Individual patient data (IPD) from seven RCTs, including 94,068 participants, were also included in the meta-analyses.
The main meta-analysis of all 14 RCTs showed a 6% reduction in cancer mortality with vitamin D3 supplementation, but the reduction was not statistically significant. However, subgroup analyses revealed a significant 12% lower cancer mortality in trials using a daily dosing regimen compared to those using a bolus regimen. The IPD meta-analysis confirmed the findings of all the trials.
The IPD was further analyzed to explore potential factors that could modify the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation. Factors such as age, sex, body mass index (BMI), ethnicity, baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration, adherence, and cancer-related factors were examined. However, no statistically significant findings were obtained in the meta-analyses of all the trials. In a post-hoc analysis, it was found that daily vitamin D3 supplementation was most beneficial for adults aged ≥70 years and individuals who started vitamin D3 therapy before cancer diagnosis.
The study also compared the results for all-cause and cancer-specific survival of participants with cancer to those obtained in the general population for cancer mortality. The findings showed comparable results, indicating that vitamin D3 supplementation did not significantly impact overall survival or cancer-specific survival in cancer patients.
In conclusion, the main meta-analysis of all the RCTs did not find a significant reduction in cancer mortality with vitamin D3 supplementation. However, subgroup analyses suggested that daily supplementation had a significant 12% reduction in cancer mortality compared to bolus supplementation. The study highlights the potential benefits of daily dosing regimens and identifies specific subgroups, such as older adults and individuals initiating therapy before cancer diagnosis, who may benefit the most from vitamin D3 supplementation.
Reference;
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37004841/
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