Low Vitamin D And Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Men with prostate cancer who have chosen to watch and wait may also want to watch their levels of vitamin D. Researchers at Northwestern University have found what they describe as “a major link between low levels of vitamin D and aggressive prostate cancer.” A Northwestern news release reports that the study included 190 men, average age of 64, who underwent a radical prostatectomy to remove their prostate from 2009 to 2014. Of that group, 87 men had aggressive prostate cancer. Those with aggressive cancer had a median level of 22.7 nanograms per milliliter of vitamin D, significantly below the normal level of more than 30 nanograms/milliliter. The research also point out that earlier research revealed that African American men who live in low sunlight locations are up to 1½ times more likely to have vitamin D deficiency than Caucasian men. What to do? The researchers suggest that people who live in Chicago take vitamin D supplements, particularly in the winter.