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Sept. 12, 2006 -- Getting the recommended intake of vitamin D from diet, supplements, or even the sun may cut your risk of pancreatic cancer. The results of two large, long-term surveys show that adults who got 300 IU to 449 IU (international units) per day had a 43% lower risk of pancreatic cancer. The recommended intake of vitamin D for adults aged 51-70 is 400 IU per day.

The in vitro study, reported in the journal Carcinogenesis (Vol. 27, pp. 32-42), showed that vitamin D, in the form of the highly active 1alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-VD), inhibited the function of protease enzymes that are involved in tumour invasion. "We found that 1,25-VD decreased matric metalloproteinases (MMP-9) and cathepsins (CPs), while it [also] increased the activity of their counterparts, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and cathepsin inhibitors," wrote lead author Bo-Ying Bao from the University of Rochester and Taipei Medical University. "Mechanistic studies showed that 1,25-VD did not suppress MMP-9 expression at the transcriptional level, but reduced its mRNA stability," said Bao.

Low doses of the active form of vitamin D and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs act as a powerful combination to halt the growth of prostate cancer cells, say US scientists. Writing in Cancer Research, a team from Stanford University says it discovered that the amount of both activated vitamin D, or calcitriol, and NSAIDs could be reduced by half to one-tenth the dosage to thwart prostate cancer cell growth in cell lines and primary tissue culture

ScienceDaily (Feb. 8, 2006) - Vitamin D can inhibit the spread of prostate cancer cells by limiting the activity of two specific enzymes, University of Rochester Medical Center scientists report. \n\nThe finding means that vitamin D could provide beneficial treatment to prostate cancer patients with high levels of the enzymes, the scientists said.\n

ScienceDaily (July 2, 2006) - Drinking an eight ounce glass of pomegranate juice daily increased by nearly four times the period during which PSA levels in men treated for prostate cancer remained stable, a three-year UCLA study has found.

ScienceDaily (Sep. 1, 2005) - STANFORD, Calif. - The growth of prostate cancer cells can be halted by combining a form of vitamin D, available only by prescription, with low doses of an over-the-counter painkiller, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found. The combination reduced prostate cancer cell growth in a laboratory dish by up to 70 percent, according to the findings, published in the Sept. 1 issue of Cancer Research.

Holick MF. Sunlight and vitamin D for bone health and prevention of autoimmune diseases, cancers, and cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Dec;80(6 Suppl):1678S-88S. Review. PMID: 15585788 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]