Highlights
Nutritional supplements and extracts like Vitamin D3 have benefits and are used by cancer patients and those at-genetic risk of cancer. There is limited or hardly any clinical data available for use of nutritional supplements and foods in cancer patients. Generating clinical evidence of efficacy for cancer through a randomized clinical trial is further infeasible due to variations in genetics and cancer chemotherapy treatments across cancer patients. Hence a different and new approach is needed to find out for which cancers you should not take Vitamin D3 supplement and why should not take them?
Is it okay to take Vitamin D3 extracts or supplements for all cancer indications and any chemotherapy treatment? A common belief but a myth is that everything natural can only be of benefit and do no harm. For example, the use of grapefruit with certain medications is not recommended. Another example is the use of spinach with some blood thinning medications can cause adverse interactions and hence to be avoided. For cancer, nutrition including plant-based foods and supplements can influence outcomes and hence an extremely important decision which needs to be made. Hence NIH-National Cancer Institute has a website for nutrition for cancer care for patients which are generalized recommendations and not personalized for cancer indication and treatments.
A frequently asked question by cancer patients and those at-risk is “What Foods and Nutritional Supplements could be beneficial over others for me?”. “Who should not take an extract or supplement and why?”. Generic guidelines like eating only plant-based-foods or avoiding all sugar or adopting a keto diet is a good start but not actionable and personalized enough.
To find answers to questions on extracts and nutritional supplements and foods requires knowledge of contained active ingredients; genetic mutation prevalence for cancer indication; understanding of underlying cancer biology; chemotherapy treatments and mechanism of actions of active ingredients.
Taking Vitamin D3 extracts or nutritional supplements may benefit Primary Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma patients on Cisplatin treatment over Sumac nutritional supplements. But Vitamin D3 supplements or Vitamin D3 extracts offer less benefit if on Cisplatin treatment for Primary Urachal adenocarcinoma compared to Lemon. Similarly, taking nutritional supplements Vitamin D3 may benefit healthy individuals who are at genetic risk of cancer due to mutation of gene MYC over Persimmon. But avoid nutritional supplements Vitamin D3 when at genetic risk of cancer due to mutation of gene CREBBP.
The takeaway being – cancer, genomics, treatments and other personalized factors will influence decision making to questions like: Are extracts or nutritional supplements Vitamin D3 beneficial and should not be taken? Why should Vitamin D3 be not taken? Who should not take Vitamin D3? What are side effects of Vitamin D3 with Cisplatin chemotherapy? What are the benefits of Vitamin D3 for cancer? Can Vitamin D3 help fight cancer and so on.
Whenever there are changes in chemotherapy treatments or cancer tissue genetics – the nutrition may change and hence needs to be re-evaluated. Do consider factors like cancer indication, ongoing chemotherapy treatments and nutritional supplements, age, gender, weight, height, lifestyle and genetics for personalization of nutrition.
Brief Overview
Use of nutritional supplements – vitamins, herbs, minerals, probiotics, and other specialty categories are increasing. Supplements are high concentrations of active ingredients which are also found in different foods. Difference between supplements and foods being that foods contain more than one active ingredient at much lower concentrations. Every active ingredient in an extract or nutritional supplement or food has a unique mechanism of action which can influence nutrition decisions.
These are some example questions which nutrition planning should help answer for you. Should you take supplements Vitamin D3? Should you take it when at genetic risk of cancer for mutation of gene MYC? Should you take it when at genetic risk of cancer for mutation of gene CREBBP? Should you take it when diagnosed with Primary Urachal adenocarcinoma? Should you take it when diagnosed with Primary Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma? Should you take it when on Cisplatin treatment? Should you continue taking it if you change your treatment from Cisplatin to Cisplatin? So a general explanation like – it is organic and plant-based or it increases immunity is not sufficient information for making a decision of use of Vitamin D3 extracts and nutritional supplements.
Cancer
Genetic variations across cancer patients can be different and hence no two cancers are alike. The improved availability of “personalized to genetics” chemotherapy treatments and cancer disease monitoring via blood and saliva have been significant factors to improve outcomes. The earlier the lifestyle and treatment intervention – the better the influence on outcome. Genetic testing has the potential to assess cancer risk and susceptibility early. But for at-risk individuals besides regular monitoring in most cases there are no therapeutic treatment intervention options available. After diagnosis with cancer such as Primary Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma or Primary Urachal adenocarcinoma, the treatments get personalized to tumor genomics and factors like staging of disease, age and gender. During cancer remission (after treatment cycle is complete) – monitoring is used for assessment of any relapse and accordingly decide on next steps. A large majority of cancer patients and those at-risk may take nutritional supplements like Vitamin D3.
So the question is that are all genetic risks and cancer indications to be considered uniformly when making decisions on the use of Vitamin D3 extracts or nutritional supplements? Are the biochemical pathway implications of genetic risk for cancer due to mutation of gene MYC the same as due to mutation of gene CREBBP? Are the implications of Primary Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma the same as Primary Urachal adenocarcinoma? Is it one and the same if you are on treatment with Cisplatin or Cisplatin?
Vitamin D3 – An Extract or Nutritional Supplement
Vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol or sunshine vitamin, is a fat-soluble vitamin usually produced in the skin when exposed to sun. It is obtained from a variety of food sources and is also available in the form of dietary supplements. It is known to have many health benefits including the following :
- May help strengthen bones by absorbing calcium and phosphorus, which helps keep the bones strong (Paul Lips and Natasja M van Schoor, Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab., 2011)
- May promote heart health (Suzanne E Judd and Vin Tangpricha, Am J Med Sci., 2009)
- May improve mood (Sue Penckofer et al, Issues Ment Health Nurs., 2010)
- May promote healthy immune system (Pieter-Jan Martens et al, Nutrients. 2020)
- May aid in weight loss (Caitlin Mason et al, Am J Clin Nutr., 2014)
However, intake of high doses of vitamin D3 for long periods may be harmful. Following are some of the side-effects of excess intake of Vitamin D3.
- Increased blood calcium levels
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Kidney failure
- Stomach pain
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Lack of appetite
Vitamin D3 supplements contain many active ingredients including Vitamin D3 at different concentration levels. The molecular pathways which are regulated by Vitamin D3 include Hedgehog Signaling, Oxidative Stress, G-protein-coupled Receptor Signaling and Vitamin D Signaling. These biochemical pathways directly or indirectly regulate specific cancer molecular endpoints like growth, spread and death of cancer cells. Because of this biological regulation – for cancer nutrition, the right choice of supplements like Vitamin D3 individually or in combination is an important decision to be made. When making decisions on the use of supplement Vitamin D3 over other nutritional supplements – do consider all these factors.
Who Should not take Vitamin D3 Supplements and Why?
There is no easy way to answer the question “For which cancers should I not chooseVitamin D3 nutritional supplements”. Just like the same chemotherapy treatment does not work across patients, for similar reasons Vitamin D3 in comparison with other nutritional supplements may be beneficial or not. Along with which cancer and associated genetics – the ongoing treatments, lifestyle habits, height, weight and food allergies are all factors in deciding if Vitamin D3 should be avoided or not and why.
1. Will Vitamin D3 Supplements benefit Primary Urachal adenocarcinoma patients undergoing Cisplatin treatment?
Primary Urachal adenocarcinoma is characterized and driven by specific genetic mutations like NFE2L2, TP53 and GNAS leading to biochemical pathway changes in Oxidative Stress, Immune Checkpoints, Cell Cycle Checkpoints, Apoptosis, G-protein-coupled Receptor Signaling and Reproductive Hormone Signaling. A cancer treatment like Cisplatin works through a specific pathway mechanism of action. The goal is to have a good overlap between the treatment and cancer driving pathways for a personalized approach which is effective. In such a condition any food or nutritional supplement which has a contrary effect to the treatment or reduces the overlap should be avoided. As an example, Vitamin D3 supplement should not be taken for Primary Urachal adenocarcinoma along with treatment Cisplatin. Vitamin D3 supplement impacts the biochemical pathway called Oxidative Stress which either promotes drivers of the disease and/or nullifies the treatment effect. Some of the factors which should be considered when choosing nutrition are type of cancer, treatments and supplements being taken currently (if any
2. Will Vitamin D3 Supplements benefit Primary Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients undergoing Cisplatin Treatment?
Primary Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma is characterized and driven by specific genetic mutations like ABRAXAS1, PIK3CB and NUP93 leading to biochemical pathway changes in Hedgehog Signaling, Hematopoiesis and Inositol Phosphate Signaling. A cancer treatment like Cisplatin works through specific pathway mechanisms. The goal is to have a good overlap between the treatment and cancer driving pathways for a personalized approach. In such a condition any food or nutritional supplement which supports treatment action or improves the overlap should be considered. As an example, Vitamin D3 supplements should be considered for Primary Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma along with the treatment Cisplatin. Vitamin D3 supplement impacts pathways/processes like Hedgehog Signaling which either obstruct drivers of Primary Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma and/or improve Cisplatin treatment effect.
Foods to Eat After Cancer Diagnosis!
No two cancers are the same. Go beyond the common nutrition guidelines for everyone and make personalized decisions about food and supplements with confidence.
3. What about Vitamin D3 Supplements for Healthy Individuals with CREBBP Mutation associated Genetic Risk?
Different companies offer panels of genes to be tested for assessing genetic risk to different cancers. These panels cover genes associated with cancers of the breast, ovary, uterus, prostate, and gastrointestinal system and others. Genetic testing of these genes may confirm a diagnosis and help guide treatment and management decisions. Identification of a disease-causing variant may also guide testing and diagnosis of at-risk relatives. CREBBP is one of the genes generally available in panels for cancer risk testing.
CREBBP mutation causes biochemical pathways/processes like G-protein-coupled Receptor Signaling and Histone/Protein Acetylation to get impacted. These pathways are direct or indirect drivers of cancer molecular endpoints. Vitamin D3 should not be taken when the genetic panel identifies mutation of CREBBP for Follicular Lymphoma. Vitamin D3 impacts pathways/processes like G-protein-coupled Receptor Signaling and creates adverse conditions with CREBBP.
4. What about Vitamin D3 Supplements for Healthy Individuals with MYC Mutation associated Genetic Risk?
MYC is one of the genes available in panels for cancer risk testing. MYC mutation causes biochemical pathways/processes like Vitamin D Signaling, Antigen Presentation, PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and Amino Acid Metabolism to get impacted. These pathways are direct or indirect drivers of cancer molecular endpoints. Vitamin D3 supplements may be considered when the genetic panel identifies mutations in MYC for Burkitt Lymphoma. Vitamin D3 impacts pathways/processes like Vitamin D Signaling and creates a canceling effect in those individuals with MYC mutation.
* Other Factors are also included like BMI, Treatments, Lifestyle Habits
In Conclusion
It is important to remember that cancer chemotherapy treatments and nutrition are never the same for everyone. Food and nutritional supplements like Vitamin D3 are chosen by you and can influence outcomes.
“What should I eat?” is a commonly asked question by cancer patients and those at-risk. The answer to this question depends on cancer indication, underlying genetics, current chemotherapy treatments, food allergies, lifestyle information, and food preferences.
The addon.life approach to nutrition personalization uses knowledge of active ingredients contained in foods and nutritional supplements, cancer biology, chemotherapy treatment action and genetic mutation prevalence across cancer indications. addon.life team of clinicians, clinical scientists and engineers are experts in cancer biology focusing only on nutrition personalization for cancer patients and those at-risk.
What food you eat and which supplements you take is a decision you make. Your decision should include consideration of the cancer gene mutations, which cancer, ongoing treatments and supplements, any allergies, lifestyle information, weight, height and habits.
The nutrition planning for cancer from addon is not based on internet searches. It automates the decision making for you based on molecular science implemented by our scientists and software engineers. Irrespective of whether you care to understand the underlying biochemical molecular pathways or not - for nutrition planning for cancer that understanding is needed.
Get started NOW with your nutrition planning by answering questions on the name of cancer, genetic mutations, ongoing treatments and supplements, any allergies, habits, lifestyle, age group and gender.
References
- Sonic Hedgehog Pathway Activation Is Associated With Resistance to Platinum-Based Chemotherapy in Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma.
- Vitamin D3 triggers antitumor activity through targeting hedgehog signaling in human renal cell carcinoma.
- The subunits of glutamate cysteine ligase enhance cisplatin resistance in human non-small cell lung cancer xenografts in vivo.
- Vitamin D effects on monocytes’ CCL-2, IL6 and CD14 transcription in Addison’s disease and HLA susceptibility.
- Mutational landscape of metastatic cancer revealed from prospective clinical sequencing of 10,000 patients.
- cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics
- Cancer therapy shapes the fitness landscape of clonal hematopoiesis.
Personalized Nutrition for Cancer!
Cancer changes with time. Customize and modify your nutrition based on cancer indication, treatments, lifestyle, food preferences, allergies and other factors.