São Paulo: A new clinical study from Brazil has revealed that low-dose vitamin D supplements may significantly enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy in women with breast cancer. Conducted at São Paulo State University (FMB-UNESP), the trial showed a 79% higher treatment response in patients who received vitamin D than those who didn’t.
The study involved 80 women over age 45, all undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which shrinks tumors before surgery. Participants were split into two groups: one received 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily, while the other received a placebo. After six months, 43% of women taking vitamin D experienced complete tumor disappearance, compared to only 24% in the placebo group.
Despite the small sample size, the results were statistically significant. “Even with a low dose and limited participants, the difference was clear,” said Eduardo Carvalho-Pessoa, co-author of the Study and president of the São Paulo Regional Brazilian Society of Mastology. The findings were published in Nutrition and Cancer.
Vitamin D, produced naturally through sunlight exposure and found in some foods, plays a key role in bone health and immune system function. Most prior cancer studies have used high doses. Still, this trial suggests that even modest supplementation can have therapeutic effects, especially since many participants were vitamin D deficient at the start.
Importantly, vitamin D is widely available and affordable, offering a potential low-cost alternative to expensive drugs designed to boost chemotherapy response, many of which aren’t available through Brazil’s national health system.
Researchers now call for larger trials to confirm the findings and explore vitamin D’s role in improving cancer remission rates. “These results are encouraging and justify further studies,” Carvalho-Pessoa noted.
