- A petri dish study found vitamin D may help cells outside major organs ward off ovarian cancer cells.
- The study suggests vitamin D keeps cancer cells from transforming mesothelial cells, or those found outside organs.
- Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women. The disease often goes undetected due to subtle symptoms.
Vitamin D helped cells outside major organs ward off ovarian cancer cells in a Japanese university lab.
Researchers at Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan found vitamin D counteracted a process ovarian cancer cells use to spread into different organs.
Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer for the American Cancer Society, said studies targeting this process "have been disappointing in the clinic."
"Research such as this can potentially lay the foundation for future clinical research," Dahut said.
The results of the study are limited because researchers tested cells separated from the body and used mathematical models to find their results, and not through a placebo-controlled clinical trial — the "gold standard" of research design. The scientists used human cells in a petri dish and mouse cells for the study.
However, the researchers said they are excited by their findings, which tap into a broader area of research on low vitamin D levels and ovarian cancer risk.
When ovarian cancer cells migrate from the ovaries to other parts of the body, the cells outside major organs work as a barrier. But ovarian cancer cells can interactive with the mesothelial cells that act as a protective layer around major organs.
The study found high levels of vitamin D may help mesothelial cells to repair any damage, and resume their original state.
"We showed the potential of vitamin D for normalizing cancer-associated mesothelial cells, which is the first study of this kind," the study's lead author Kazuhisa Kitami said in a release.
Low vitamin D might be linked to cancer, but few clinical trials have found clear evidence
Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, and has been responsible for more deaths than other cancers of the female reproductive system, according to the American Cancer Society.
Ovarian cancer can go years undetected by patients due to subtle symptoms like bloating and abdominal pain.
Low vitamin D has been associated with cancers like ovarian cancer, but few clinical trials have found significant evidence for a relationship between the two, Insider previously reported. The National Institutes of Health's website lists ten clinical trials studying vitamin D as a cancer treatment.
A 2016 study into the genes of more than 31,000 European women found low vitamin D concentration was associated with higher ovarian cancer susceptibility. A recent study in the peer-reviewed journal Cancer found Black and Latina women with low vitamin D were more likely to develop breast cancer.
For people with vitamin D deficiency, supplements can help
Most people can get enough daily vitamin D through the sun, registered dietitian Ryan Andrews previously told Insider.
However, much of the global population does not get enough, accorindg to the NIH. People who work from home, live far from the equator, have dark skin, and are older are more at risk for vitamin D deficiency.
Doctors and dietitians recommend talking to a doctor before taking vitamin D supplements.