Vitamin D protects from colon cancer

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Vitamin D protects from colon cancer

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Vitamin D slows down the action of carcinogenic transformation process of colon cancer cells.

20 November,2011 10:53 pm

A new study has confirmed the pivotal role of vitamin D in slowing down the action of a key protein in the carcinogenic transformation process of colon cancer cells.This protein, known as beta-catenin, which is normally found in intestinal epithelial cells where it facilitates their cohesion, builds up in large quantities in other areas of the cells when the tumour transformation begins.As a result of these changes, the protein is retained in the cell nucleus, where it facilitate the carcinogenic process, and this is the point at which vitamin D intervenes, or rather, the vitamin D receptor (VDR).The researchers analysed the effect of the VDR on human colon cancer cell cultures and observed that the concentration of the altered protein, beta-catenin, increased in cells without the VDR.In light of these findings, chronic vitamin D deficiency represents a risk factor in the development of more aggressive colon tumours.