Members of the NAR-Kolleg

Vita

Dr. José Manuel Ordóñez Mena - Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, M.SC;  Nutrition and Health, M.Sc.

Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research; DKFZ
Im Neuenheimer Feld 581
D-69120 Heidelberg

Fellows: Prof. Dr. Hermann Brenner

The relationship between Vitamin D status and the risk of cancer in the Consortium on Health and Aging: Network of Cohorts in Europe and the United States (CHANCES)

Low vitamin D status, for a long time known to be a risk factor for osteoporosis, falls and fractures, has recently been linked to the occurrence of a variety of other chronic diseases at old age, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and cancer (Schöttker, Ball, Gellert & Brenner, 2012). Laboratory and animal research as well as epidemiological data suggest that vitamin D levels could influence cancer risk especially in the large bowel and breast (Grant, 2009). However a consensus has not yet been reached in regard to the appropriate vitamin D status needed to decrease the risk of cancer (Chung, Lee, Terasawa, Lau & Trikalonis, 2009).

In order to analyse this potential association we will make use of one of the largest consortia in aging research. The Consortium on Health and Aging: Network of Cohorts in Europe and the United States (CHANCES). This cooperation will provide us with an extensive and harmonized amount of data which would allow us to gain deeper insight into the association between vitamin D and the risk of cancer. For this purpose we will employ meta-analyses gathering results from different cohorts. Furthermore we will have the opportunity to share knowledge with a number of distinguished epidemiologists from different research centres in several countries, thus improving the current state-of-the-art in the field of aging research.

References

• Schöttker B, Ball D, Gellert C, Brenner H. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and overall mortality. A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Ageing Res Rev. 2012 Feb 17.
• Grant WB. How strong is the evidence that solar ultraviolet B and vitamin D reduce the risk of cancer?: An examination using Hill's criteria for causality. Dermatoendocrinol. 2009 Jan;1(1):17-24.
• Chung M, Lee J, Terasawa T, Lau J, Trikalinos TA. Vitamin D with or without calcium supplementation for prevention of cancer and fractures: an updated meta-analysis for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med. 2011 Dec 20;155(12):827-38.

 Vita