VITAMIN D - SAFEGUARD AGAINST CANCER

Earlier, Vitamin D was implicated in bone health as it promotes the intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphates. Vitamin D is considered important for bone and mineral metabolism. Various guidelines suggest a daily intake of 5-15 ?g of vitamin D. Approximately 90 % of vitamin D is generated in our body and the remaining 10 % comes from dietary intake. The deficiency of Vitamin d has been found to be linked with distinct biological processes in recent years. The improper vitamin D metabolism is responsible for various health problems including cancer. In the present review, the role of vitamin D in cancer and its prevention has been discussed. The anti-cancer effects of vitamin D involving several mechanisms such as apoptosis, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenesis, anti-proliferative, inhibiting invasive and metastasis, etc. are also investigated in this review.