Vitamin D and Gut Microbiome Linked to Enhanced Cancer Immunity

Renewed interest in vitamin D as a potential weapon against cancer has been sparked by new research that suggests it could change the gut microbiome to boost cancer immunity. The study published in Science last week showed that eating a diet rich in vitamin D led mice with high levels of this nutrient in their systems to show an increased concentration of the bacterium Bacteroides fragilis, which has been linked to improved immune response against tumours. Further testing indicated they exhibited superior immunity following treatment with cancer-fighting drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors compared to those on a low vitamin D regime whose performance levels resembled control subjects with low quantities of this nutrient in their systems. The researchers, from the Francis Crick Institute and Aalborg University’s department of Biomedicine in Denmark amongst other organisations worldwide believe these findings represent new insights into cancer immunity mechanisms which may assist efforts to develop more effective treatments for human patients. Shama Farooq, a neuro-oncologist at Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute in New Jersey believes this research provides an opportunity “to potentially lowering their risk of cancer” by ensuring vitamin D levels are adequate as part of a comprehensive approach to health management. However, the researchers acknowledge that further studies will be required before it can conclusively stated whether correcting low vitamin D concentrations has benefits for prevention or treatment of malignancies in human subjects since there is “much still left unknown” regarding these interconnected phenomena at present.