A new study has found that the consumption of Vitamin D may help in lowering or even reversing the progression of prostate cancer that are of low-grade, facilitating a treatment methodology that require no surgery or radiation.
The researchers measured the aggressiveness of potentially cancerous tumors following a prostate biopsy on Gleason Grading System. The tumors with Gleason score of seven or above were considered aggressive with potential to spread, while those tumors with a score of six and below were considered less aggressive.
Bruce Hollis, a researcher at the Medical University of South Carolina, explains low-grade prostate cancer could be treated with the help of surgery. Hollis further recommended that a person must wait for 60 days from the time of his biopsy in order to undergo prostatectomy.
For the study, the researchers involved 37 men who were undergoing elective prostatectomies. Two groups were formed. The first group was given 4,000 U of vitamin D a day and the placebo group was not given vitamin D.
After a period of 60 days, the prostate glands of the participating men were removed for detailed examination.
The preliminary results showed that the men who had consumed Vitamin D showed greater improvements, while the placebo group either stayed the same or suffered worse condition.
The study’s results showed that Vitamin D triggered dramatic changes in the levels of many cell proteins and lipids.
The findings of the study will be presented at the 249th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).