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The nutrients calcium and vitamin D work in tandem, not separately, to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, according to a new Dartmouth Medical School study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The research builds on a multicenter study led by John Baron, Professor of Medicine and of Family and Community Medicine, that found that people who take calcium supplements have a lower risk of adenoma polyps—benign tumors that are precursors to colon or rectal cancer. Now Baron, along with lead author Maria V. Grau, a research associate at DMS,and colleagues have reanalyzed that study to examine how calcium and vitamin D interact to lower the possibility of colorectal cancer.
The new analysis found that calcium supplements prevented adenomas only among people with higher-than-average baseline vitamin D levels, and serum vitamin D levels were associated with reduced adenoma recurrence only among those taking calcium supplements.
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