The Role of Calcium and Vitamin D Dietary Intake on Risk of Colorectal Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Case-control Studies

Overview

Journal Cancer Causes Control

Specialties Oncology
Public Health

Date 2021 Oct 28

PMID 34708323

Citations 18

Authors

Juan Francisco Lopez-Caleya

Luis Ortega-Valin

Tania Fernandez-Villa

Miguel Delgado-Rodriguez

Vicente Martin-Sanchez

Antonio Jose Molina

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyze the current evidence about the relationships between calcium/vitamin D and CRC based on case-control studies according to sex, tumor location and continental region to complement the information obtained in meta-analyses of other designs.

Methods: The articles were located in three databases (PUBMED, EMBASE and SCOPUS), they should be written in English language, with a case and control design and published between 1 January 1970 and 31 October 2019.

Results: There were 37 selected studies, 32 for intake of calcium, that involved 24,353 CRC cases and 30,650 controls, and 23 for that of VIT D, with a total of 19,076 cases and 36.746 controls included. For dietary calcium intake, the overall OR was 0.94 (95% CI 0.92-0.97), suggesting a reducing effect with a 6% decrease in CRC risk for every 300 mg of calcium ingested daily. Regarding vitamin D intake a global OR of 0.96 (95% CI 0.93-0.98) was observed, what means a 4% decrease in the risk of CRC per 100 IU/day of vitamin D.

Conclusion: Higher dietary intakes of calcium and vitamin D are associated to a decreased risk of CRC.

Citing Articles

The Role of Dairy in Human Nutrition: Myths and Realities.

Sanjulian L, Fernandez-Rico S, Gonzalez-Rodriguez N, Cepeda A, Miranda J, Fente C Nutrients. 2025; 17(4).

PMID: 40004974 PMC: 11858442. DOI: 10.3390/nu17040646.

Exploring men's cancer journeys in Norway: a comprehensive survey on diet, supplements, and use of complementary and alternative therapies.

Kristoffersen A, Nakandi K, Norheim A, Bjelland M, Nilsen J, Ben-Arye E BMC Complement Med Ther. 2025; 25(1):74.

PMID: 39994718 PMC: 11849388. DOI: 10.1186/s12906-025-04748-7.

Vitamin D Deficiency Meets Hill's Criteria for Causation in SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility, Complications, and Mortality: A Systematic Review.

Wimalawansa S Nutrients. 2025; 17(3).

PMID: 39940457 PMC: 11820523. DOI: 10.3390/nu17030599.

Biochemical mechanisms and molecular interactions of vitamins in cancer therapy.

Aborode A, Onifade I, Olorunshola M, Adenikinju G, Aruorivwooghene I, Femi A Cancer Pathog Ther. 2025; 3(1):3-15.

PMID: 39872372 PMC: 11764782. DOI: 10.1016/j.cpt.2024.05.001.

Zinc, copper, copper-to-zinc ratio, and other biometals in blood serum and tumor tissue of patients with colorectal cancer.

Skalny A, Kushlinskii N, Korobeinikova T, Alferov A, Kuzmin Y, Kochkina S Biometals. 2025; .

PMID: 39820949 DOI: 10.1007/s10534-024-00660-8.

References

Bray F, Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Siegel R, Torre L, Jemal A . Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2018; 68(6):394-424. DOI: 10.3322/caac.21492. View

Arnold M, Sierra M, Laversanne M, Soerjomataram I, Jemal A, Bray F . Global patterns and trends in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality. Gut. 2016; 66(4):683-691. DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2015-310912. View

Boyle P, Zaridze D, Smans M . Descriptive epidemiology of colorectal cancer. Int J Cancer. 1985; 36(1):9-18. DOI: 10.1002/ijc.2910360103. View

Winawer S, John J, Bond J, Hardcastle J, Kronborg O, Flehinger B . Screening of average-risk individuals for colorectal cancer. WHO Collaborating Centre for the Prevention of Colorectal Cancer. Bull World Health Organ. 1990; 68(4):505-13. PMC: 2393154. View

Gulbake A, Jain A, Jain A, Jain A, Jain S . Insight to drug delivery aspects for colorectal cancer. World J Gastroenterol. 2016; 22(2):582-99. PMC: 4716061. DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i2.582. View

Huncharek M, Muscat J, Kupelnick B . Colorectal cancer risk and dietary intake of calcium, vitamin D, and dairy products: a meta-analysis of 26,335 cases from 60 observational studies. Nutr Cancer. 2009; 61(1):47-69. DOI: 10.1080/01635580802395733. View

Barrubes L, Babio N, Becerra-Tomas N, Rosique-Esteban N, Salas-Salvado J . Association Between Dairy Product Consumption and Colorectal Cancer Risk in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Epidemiologic Studies. Adv Nutr. 2019; 10(suppl_2):S190-S211. PMC: 6518136. DOI: 10.1093/advances/nmy114. View

Larsson S, Bergkvist L, Rutegard J, Giovannucci E, Wolk A . Calcium and dairy food intakes are inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk in the Cohort of Swedish Men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006; 83(3):667-73. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn.83.3.667. View

Baron J, Barry E, Mott L, Rees J, Sandler R, Snover D . A Trial of Calcium and Vitamin D for the Prevention of Colorectal Adenomas. N Engl J Med. 2015; 373(16):1519-30. PMC: 4643064. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1500409. View

10.

De Stefani E, Ronco A, Mendilaharsu M, Deneo-Pellegrini H . Diet and risk of cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract--II. Nutrients. Oral Oncol. 1999; 35(1):22-6. DOI: 10.1016/s1368-8375(98)00061-x. View

11.

Kesse E, Boutron-Ruault M, Norat T, Riboli E, Clavel-Chapelon F . Dietary calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D, dairy products and the risk of colorectal adenoma and cancer among French women of the E3N-EPIC prospective study. Int J Cancer. 2005; 117(1):137-44. DOI: 10.1002/ijc.21148. View

12.

Lin J, Zhang S, Cook N, Manson J, Lee I, Buring J . Intakes of calcium and vitamin D and risk of colorectal cancer in women. Am J Epidemiol. 2005; 161(8):755-64. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwi101. View

13.

Ma Y, Zhang P, Wang F, Yang J, Liu Z, Qin H . Association between vitamin D and risk of colorectal cancer: a systematic review of prospective studies. J Clin Oncol. 2011; 29(28):3775-82. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2011.35.7566. View

15.

Park S, Murphy S, Wilkens L, Nomura A, Henderson B, Kolonel L . Calcium and vitamin D intake and risk of colorectal cancer: the Multiethnic Cohort Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2007; 165(7):784-93. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwk069. View

16.

Shin A, Li H, Shu X, Yang G, Gao Y, Zheng W . Dietary intake of calcium, fiber and other micronutrients in relation to colorectal cancer risk: Results from the Shanghai Women's Health Study. Int J Cancer. 2006; 119(12):2938-42. DOI: 10.1002/ijc.22196. View

17.

Aune D, Lau R, Chan D, Vieira R, Greenwood D, Kampman E . Dairy products and colorectal cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. Ann Oncol. 2011; 23(1):37-45. DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdr269. View

18.

Kato I, Akhmedkhanov A, Koenig K, Toniolo P, Shore R, Riboli E . Prospective study of diet and female colorectal cancer: the New York University Women's Health Study. Nutr Cancer. 1997; 28(3):276-81. DOI: 10.1080/01635589709514588. View

19.

Jarvinen R, Knekt P, Hakulinen T, Aromaa A . Prospective study on milk products, calcium and cancers of the colon and rectum. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2001; 55(11):1000-7. DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601260. View

20.

Carroll C, Cooper K, Papaioannou D, Hind D, Pilgrim H, Tappenden P . Supplemental calcium in the chemoprevention of colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Ther. 2010; 32(5):789-803. DOI: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2010.04.024. View

21.

Hamling J, Lee P, Weitkunat R, Ambuhl M . Facilitating meta-analyses by deriving relative effect and precision estimates for alternative comparisons from a set of estimates presented by exposure level or disease category. Stat Med. 2007; 27(7):954-70. DOI: 10.1002/sim.3013. View