Is Vitamin D3 Good For Prostate

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PDQ® Integrative, Alternative, and Complementary Therapies Editorial Board. PDQ Prostate Cancer, Nutrition, and Dietary Supplements. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. Updated < MM/DD/YYYY> . Available at: . Accessed < MM/DD/YYYY> .

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Gcmaf Therapy Destroys Cancer

Neither physicians nor scientists alike completely understood the critical role and benefits that optimal vitamin D3 levels provide to human physiology and pathology until the past decade. There has been zero evidence suggesting any toxicity concerns for the use of D3 to modulate GcMAF activity and suppress cancer since research from 2007. What we know today is that vitamin D elevates GcMAF concentrations and provides the following anti-cancer mechanisms:

• Boost macrophage activity
• Increase in lymphocytes to normal levels
• Increases platelet and red blood cell count
• Stimulate cancer cell apoptosis
• 25% Reduction in tumor size in less than 1 week

Other Studies Of Beta Carotene

In 1996, a study called CARET confirmed the adverse effect of beta carotene on lung cancer in smokers, but it did not find any effect on the risk of prostate cancer. That same year, Harvard’s Physicians’ Health Study reported that beta carotene provided no protection against heart disease, but the supplement did not increase the risk of lung cancer, probably because all the subjects were physicians and only 11% were smokers. As in the CARET study, though, beta carotene did not increase the risk of prostate cancer. In fact, it appeared to reduce the risk in men with very low dietary consumption of carotenoids.

It didn’t take long for beta carotene supplements to move from the good column to the bad, at least for men who smoke. Indeed, that’s where it belongs. But vitamin E has also changed columns. When it comes to heart disease, that shift is justified, but a possible benefit against prostate cancer has not been ruled out.

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Essential For Brain Health

Researchers have shown that the central nervous system contains vitamin D receptors. These receptors are also found in the hippocampus region of the brain which is responsible for both emotion and memory . It is critical that vitamin D binds to these receptors in order to regulate enzymes located in the cerebrospinal fluid and the brain in order to support:

• Neurotransmitter production
• Nerve growth
• Synaptic density

Healthy vitamin D levels are required to protect nervous tissue against oxidative stress, modulates a normal immune response and is also involved in maintaining the homeostatic processes involving intracellular phosphorus and calcium concentration. It is especially critical to receive optimal vitamin D during neonatal development because its deficiency is linked to an increased risk for diseases of the central nervous system including multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia.

Questions And Answers About Lycopene

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Tell Us A Little Bit About Yourself

Mike Scott

My name is Mike Scott. I am 75 years old and live in Cedar Park, Texas. I retired in 2007 from biochemistry. I have been happily married for 33 years, with 3 grown children, 6 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren.

I am in wonder because of all of the positive health effects that have resulted from vitamin D.

To Learn More About Cam

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the National Institutes of Health facilitates research and evaluation of complementary and alternative practices, and provides information about a variety of approaches to health professionals and the public.

• NCCIH Clearinghouse

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Vitamin D Vital To Gcmaf

Researchers propose that supplementing 20,000 IU of D3 daily may be a potent and safe therapy to limit systemic inflammation and inhibit the development of cancer . GcMAF is a powerful immune supporting protein that demands a steady supply of D3. GcMAF activity is essential to a healthy immune system and can also assist in the destruction of tumors entirely.

In fact, healthy vitamin D levels are one of the most important nutrients that benefit a baby during a womans pregnancy. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with autoimmune problems and considering that cancer is a multifactorial disease, optimal vitamin D levels are not worth compromise during neonatal development. Throughout fetal development, D3 supplementation supports:

• Reduced inflammatory secretions by natural killer cells
• Anatomical growth and development of fetus
• Neuroprotection
• Neurogenesis
• Neuroplasticity

Other Vitamin E Studies

The ATBC research provides some support for vitamin E , but it’s not conclusive. Although it was a well-conducted randomized clinical trial, its primary goal was to evaluate lung cancer, not prostate cancer. To epidemiologists, this takes a bit of the luster off the prostate cancer findings. More important, all the subjects were smokers. When the Harvard Health Professionals Follow-Up Study looked into the matter, it found that although vitamin E supplements were linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer in smokers, they had no effect in nonsmokers. In 2004, a study of 72,704 men reported that vitamin E supplements did not appear protective in smokers or nonsmokers. And a 2005 randomized clinical trial found that 400 units of vitamin E a day did not reduce the risk of any form of cancer but did increase the risk of congestive heart failure.

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Vitamin D For The Management Of Prostate Cancer

Although vitamin D can be obtained from many natural dietary sources, such as fish liver oil, eggs, and dairy products, for the majority of men, this dietary source fails to meet the daily required levels., Instead, their major source of vitamin D is derived from synthesis in the skin through conversion of a precursor into vitamin D3, a reaction catalyzed by ultraviolet light present in sunlight. Vitamin D3 subsequently undergoes hydroxylation in the liver followed by the kidney, resulting in the synthesis of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, or calcitriol, which is the principal active hormonal form of vitamin D.

In addition to its well-known role in regulating calcium homeostasis in the body via its actions in the kidney, bone, intestine, and parathyroid glands, vitamin D also exhibits antitumorigenic properties, as demonstrated in in-vivo studies. This knowledge has led to epidemiologic studies investigating the association between vitamin D deficiency and prostate cancer. Accordingly, Schwartz and Hulka were the first to propose that low levels of vitamin D increase the risk of prostate cancer. These observations were based on prostate cancer mortality rates in the United States, which are inversely related to ultraviolet light exposure. This, in turn, has led to numerous studies investigating the antiproliferative properties of vitamin D on the prostate.

Why The Interest In Vitamin D And Prostate Cancer Anti

The idea that vitamin D supplementation may assist men with prostate cancer is far from a new idea. Decades of research have speculated that there is some connection between vitamin D deficiency and prostate cancer.

In 1990, doctors at the University of North Carolina presented a hypothesis in the journal Anticancer research

Prostate cancer is a major cause of cancer death among males, yet little is known about its etiology. We hypothesize that Vitamin D deficiency may underlie the major risks for prostate cancer, including age, Black race, and northern latitudes . These factors all are associated with decreased synthesis of Vitamin D. Mortality rates from prostate cancer in the U.S. are inversely correlated with ultraviolet radiation, the principal source of Vitamin D . This hypothesis is consistent with known antitumor properties of Vitamin D, and may suggest new avenues for research in prostate cancer.

This paper has been cited by over 70 research papers on the links connecting vitamin D and prostate cancer. As this paper points out, research had been underway that found vitamin D has known anti-tumor properties. The connection they made was that deficiency of vitamin D robbed a mans body of these anti-tumor properties and made men more vulnerable to prostate cancer.

Lets start moving our research updates to 2021.

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Evaluation Of Cam Therapies

It is important that the same scientific methods used to test conventional therapies are used to test CAM therapies. The National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health are sponsoring a number of clinical trials at medical centers to test CAM therapies for use in cancer.

Conventional approaches to cancer treatment have generally been studied for safety and effectiveness through a scientific process that includes clinical trials with large numbers of patients. Less is known about the safety and effectiveness of complementary and alternative methods. Few CAM therapies have been tested using demanding scientific methods. A small number of CAM therapies that were thought to be purely alternative approaches are now being used in cancer treatmentnot as cures, but as complementary therapies that may help patients feel better and recover faster. One example is acupuncture. According to a panel of experts at a National Institutes of Health meeting in November 1997, acupuncture has been found to help control nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy and pain related to surgery. However, some approaches, such as the use of laetrile, have been studied and found not to work and to possibly cause harm.

What Vitamins And Minerals Are Good For Your Prostate

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia is extremely common in men over the age of 50 and the symptoms, such as frequent and urgent urination, can interfere with day-to-day life.

Diet provides a means of managing and even preventing these symptoms, but a few vitamins and minerals are particularly beneficial. These include:

Read on to find out why these vitamins and minerals are so helpful and how you can get more of them in your diet.

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Aids In Neurological Protection

Another epidemic health problem we face around the world today relates to the decline in cognitive function. This concern is evident in individuals with Parkinson disease, dementia and other neurological degenerative diseases.

One clinical study presented findings that people with low levels of the active form of vitamin D had reduced neuroprotection and loss of brain development. Adequate vitamin D levels are essential to optimal detoxification processes including support for promoting the antioxidant glutathione and also decreasing levels of nitric oxide in the brain and overall support for the survival of cells.

Another study released in 2010 showed that people who have vitamin D deficiency were at an increased risk by 42% to have cognitive impairment. Those individuals who were classified as severely deficient in vitamin D were at an increased risk of 394% and more likely to present with symptoms of impaired cognitive function. A study analyzing the cognitive performance of more than 3,100 men throughout eight European countries found evidence that men with low vitamin D levels showed impaired thought processing speed .

Prostate Cancer Nutrition And Dietary Supplements Patient Version

On This Page

Men in the United States get prostate cancer more than any other type of cancer except skin cancer. It occurs mainly in older men. In the United States, about 1 in every 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. Most men with prostate cancer do not die of it.

Complementary and alternative medicine is a form of treatment used in addition to or instead of standard treatments.

CAM use among men with prostate cancer is common. Studies of why men with prostate cancer decide to use CAM show that their choice is based on medical history, beliefs about the safety and side effects of CAM compared to standard treatments, and a need to feel in control of their treatment.

CAM treatments used by men with prostate cancer include certain foods, dietary supplements, herbs, vitamins, and minerals.

Different types of research have been done to study the use of CAM in prostate cancer. These study types include the following:

This PDQ summary has sections about the use of specific foods and dietary supplements to prevent or treat prostate cancer:

Each section includes the following information for each food or dietary supplement:

• How it is given or taken.
• Results of studies done in people.
• Side effects or risks.

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The Atbc Study: Beta Carotene

The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta Carotene Cancer Prevention trial was one of the first investigations to cast doubt on the value of antioxidants. ATBC was designed to test the belief that antioxidants would protect men from lung cancer. The subjects were 29,133 Finnish male smokers between the ages of 50 and 69. Starting in 1985, the men were randomly assigned to receive one of four regimens: 50 mg of alpha-tocopherol, the most common form of vitamin E, 20 mg of beta carotene, another potent antioxidant, both antioxidant vitamins, or a placebo. The trial concluded in 1993. When the results were announced a year later, they sounded an alarm: Beta carotene produced an 18% increase in the risk of lung cancer and a less significant increase in the risk of prostate cancer.

Vitamin D And Risk Of Prostate Cancer

Valerie Clinard, PharmDCampbell University College of Pharmacy & Health SciencesCo-Director, Campbell University Drug Information CenterBuies Creek, North Carolina

Campbell University College of Pharmacy & Health SciencesFuquay Varina, North Carolina

US Pharm. 2013 38:8-11.

ABSTRACT: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and the second most common cause ofdeath from cancer among white, African American, American Indian/NativeAlaskan, and Hispanic men. The epidemiology of prostate cancer is notfully understood however, several risk factors have been documented,including increasing age, family history, and race. Vitamin D also hasbeen suggested as a risk factor. Dietary vitamin D intake, serum vitaminD levels, and sunlight exposure have been investigated to determinewhether vitamin D is associated with an increased or decreased risk ofprostate cancer. Epidemiologic studies evaluating the correlationbetween risk of prostate cancer and vitamin D levels are conflicting.

Excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, regardless of race or ethnicity.1It is the second most common cause of death from cancer among white,African American, American Indian/Native Alaskan, and Hispanic men. In2008, a total of 214,633 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in theUnited States, and 28,471 men died from the disease.

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Does This K2 Involvement With Prostate Health Extend Beyond Bph To Prostate Cancer

Results from the large European epidemiology study in 24,000 men and women between the ages of 35 and 64 found that independent of other cancer risk factors, people with the highest average intakes of vitamin K2 were ~30% less likely to develop cancer than people with the lowest intake. K2 intake was more strongly inversely associated with fatal cancer rather than with cancer incidence. What was interesting is that this association was stronger in men than in women. This led researchers to investigate the two most common cancers in men prostate and lung cancer.

In the Heidelberg cohort of the EPIC study, researchers found that while men with the highest levels of K2 had an overall lower risk of getting prostate cancer , this effect was not statistically significant. But where K2 did seem to have a more powerful impact is on the risk of advanced stage and high-grade aggressive cancer . So K2 intake might make a difference for risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

One issue with the EPIC study and many other epidemiology studies is that food frequency questionnaires were used to determine vitamin K2 intake. This approach is fraught with inaccuracies not just with peoples recall of what they eat, but also the amount eaten by a person doesnt give us information on how much is absorbed by that persons body.