Vitamin D appears to reduce energy to cancer cells in several ways

Vitamin D Regulation of Energy Metabolism in Cancer

Madeline P. Sheeley Chaylen Andolino Violet A. Kiesel Dorothy Teegarden

Br J Pharmacol. 2021 Mar 2. doi: 10.1111/bph.15424     PDF can re rented for $8

Vitamin D exerts anti‐cancer effects in recent clinical trials and preclinical models. The actions of vitamin D are primarily mediated through the hormonal form, 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D). Previous literature describing in vitro studies has predominantly focused on antitumorigenic effects of the hormone, such as proliferation and apoptosis.

However, recent evidence has identified 1,25(OH)2D as a regulator of energy metabolism in cancer cells, where requirements for specific energy sources at different stages of progression are dramatically altered.

The literature suggests that 1,25(OH)2D regulates energy metabolism, including

• glucose,

• glutamine, and

• lipid metabolism

during cancer progression, as well as oxidative stress protection, as it is closely associated with energy metabolism. Mechanisms involved in energy metabolism regulation are an emerging area in which vitamin D may inhibit multiple stages of cancer progression.