“We found vitamin D insufficiency (blood levels below 20 ng/ml) in about one-third of our participants, which correlated with a nearly 50% higher death rate among older adults,” Kritchevsky noted. “This suggests that inadequate vitamin D could pose a major public health issue for the elderly population.”
Although the body produces vitamin D through sunlight exposure on the skin and obtains small amounts from certain foods, limited sun exposure and poor dietary intake have contributed to widespread deficiency worldwide. This has been associated with greater risks of several cancers, particularly those affecting the digestive tract and certain leukemias.
“For years, my laboratory has explored the molecular actions of vitamin D in human cancer cells, especially how it halts their uncontrolled growth,” explained Professor White. “We learned that vitamin D regulates both the synthesis and breakdown of cMYC. Even more crucially, it dramatically boosts the production of MXD1, a natural opponent of cMYC that effectively blocks its activity.”
