Vitamin D Protects Against Bladder Cancer

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer, according to a review of seven studies presented at the Society for Endocrinology’s annual Brighton conference. At the same time, it has been known for a number of years that people who have healthy vitamin D levels are the least at risk of developing bladder cancer.

Vitamin D to prevent bladder cancer and other diseases

Vitamin D is a hormone-like substance that is increasingly recommended for the prevention of diseases – and thus also for the prevention of many forms of cancer, including bladder cancer.

Vitamin D is produced by the body itself under the influence of sunlight. So it’s not really a vitamin, as these – by definition – have to be ingested through food.

However, vitamin D in particular is contained in relevant quantities in very few foods. At best, fish liver (cod liver oil) is one of the most important vitamin D suppliers. Other foods that contain vitamin D, such as egg yolks and dairy products, contain very small amounts of vitamin D. Therefore, diet hardly helps at all in meeting vitamin D requirements.

Vitamin D: purely plant-based supply with the help of fungi

Above all, purely plant-based foods are almost vitamin D-free – with one interesting exception: when mushrooms grow outdoors, they form large amounts of vitamin D. Unfortunately, many mushrooms available today grow in dark cultivation facilities and therefore only contain traces of vitamin D.

However, you can also simply leave such mushrooms (e.g. button mushrooms) in the sun at home and in this way “load” them with so much vitamin D that they can definitely contribute to covering the vitamin D requirement – as we described here: Vitamin D source: mushrooms

Vitamin D is a very important substance that the body needs for the absorption of calcium from the intestine. Vitamin D, therefore, helps to regulate calcium levels, but also phosphate levels in the body. Vitamin D is also important for the immune system – as for many other organ systems.

Meeting vitamin D needs is often difficult

In countries with few hours of sunshine a year, it is difficult to meet the vitamin D requirement. As described, it is hardly possible through food and the sun usually does not shine often or not intensively enough for self-production.

In England, for example, at least one in five adults is vitamin D deficient and three in five adults have critically low levels of vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of bladder cancer

Researchers from the University of Warwick now examined the connection between vitamin D deficiency and the risk of bladder cancer. To do this, they analyzed seven studies involving between 112 and 1125 subjects.

In five of the seven studies, low vitamin D levels were associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer.

In a separate experiment, the researchers looked at cells in the lining of the bladder. They found that these cells respond to vitamin D, which in turn stimulates an immune response.

According to study leader Dr. This is particularly important to Rosemary Bland, as the immune system plays an important role in preventing cancer. It recognizes abnormal cells and eliminates them before they can turn into cancer cells.

We believe that low levels of vitamin D in the blood block the healthy immune response to prevent cancer development. Because vitamin D is an inexpensive and safe dietary supplement, it can have a positive impact on many people’s lives as a cancer preventative,” said Dr. Bland.

High vitamin D levels protect against bladder cancer

As early as October 2012, the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncologicas (CNIO, the Spanish Cancer Research Center) announced that high vitamin D levels can protect against bladder cancer.

The researchers of the corresponding study examined blood samples from over 2,000 test persons in 18 hospitals. Including patients with bladder cancer and healthy people. It was the largest study that has ever taken place on this subject.

We discovered that those people with the highest levels of vitamin D were also those who were best protected from bladder cancer. We, therefore, believe that high vitamin D levels can protect against bladder cancer or that low vitamin D levels can increase the risk of the disease,” the scientists explained at the time.

We were even able to show that vitamin D regulates the expression of a protein (called FGFR3) that is involved in the development of bladder cancer.”

Vitamin D protects against metastases in existing cancer

Even if bladder cancer is already present, vitamin D seems to have a very good protective effect. The said Spanish study showed that the protective effect of vitamin D was most evident in those patients suffering from particularly aggressive bladder cancer.

We observed that high levels of vitamin D reduce the risk of developing invasive bladder cancer (cancer that metastasizes),” said Dr. André Amaral, senior author of the study.
One should therefore increase the intake of vitamin D through diet, dietary supplements, or, if possible, through increased exposure to the sun, which will then have a preventive effect but can also be integrated into therapy.

A good supply of vitamin D protects against many types of cancer

Bladder cancer is a major public health problem in many countries, most notably in Spain, where 11,000 new cases are registered each year – one of the highest incidence rates in the world. After prostate, lung, and colon cancer, bladder cancer is the most common cancer in men.

After diagnosis, patients are monitored regularly. With the help of cystoscopy and other examination methods, the bladder mucosa is examined again and again in order to be able to detect changes in good time. However, this impairs people’s quality of life and also causes high healthcare costs. There is therefore an urgent need to find preventive measures for this type of cancer.

Since numerous studies in recent years have linked vitamin D levels not only to bladder cancer but also to breast and colon cancer, the proper supply of vitamin D is an important preventive measure for all types of cancer and many other chronic diseases.

How to achieve healthy vitamin D levels

If you already know your vitamin D level, you can use the link below to find out whether this level is okay or not and how much vitamin D you personally need to keep your vitamin D level at a level that is suitable and healthy for you personally to increase the level.

If you do not know your vitamin D value, you can visit your family doctor to measure your vitamin D level. But home tests available online also provide information about the status of your vitamin D supply.

You can get such a test online. It describes in detail how you can draw blood from yourself. This will then be sent to the specified address of the laboratory. You will receive a message with the values of your vitamin D level within a few days.