The Role of Vitamin D in Cancer Prevention: A Review of Molecular Mechanisms
Ayşenur Gürler1, Oytun Erbaş1
1ERBAS Institute of Experimental Medicine, Illinois, USA & Gebze, Turkey
Keywords: Calcitriol, cancer, vitamin D, vitamin D receptor
Abstract
Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, is produced in the body by exposure to sunlight. The most well-known function of vitamin D is its effects on bone health, and bone problems are the most common disease caused by vitamin D deficiency. However, recent studies have shown that vitamin D is involved in many different cellular mechanisms, and its deficiency influences a variety of diseases. One of these important diseases in which the effects of vitamin D are being investigated is cancer. Many studies have revealed tumor inhibitory properties of vitamin D. It triggers different pathways in different cancer types to inhibit the progression of the disease. There are strong suggestions that vitamin D can be used in the prevention of cancer, and can be used as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of cancer. In this review, the anti-cancer properties of vitamin D for cancer types were examined.
Cite this article as: Gürler A, Erbaş O. The Role of Vitamin D in Cancer Prevention: A Review of Molecular Mechanisms. JEB Med Sci 2022;3(1):79-83.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.