Intake of vitamin A in diet could help treat several forms of
cancer due to its ability to control the malignant cells, a new study has
found.
Scientists have hailed the discovery as a “new dawn” in cancer
treatment after finding a link between malignant cells and lack of vitamin
A.
Experts at the University of York found that cancer cells are
under control of a derivative of the vitamin, known as retinoic acid, the ‘Daily
Express’ reported.
They believe that vitamin A can be used as new anti-cancer
treatment and advised people to ensure they include adequate levels of the
nutrient in their diets.
The study was carried out on prostate cancer cells but Professor
Norman Maitland of Yorkshire Cancer Research believes the treatment could apply
to other cancers as well.
“This may apply to a number of other cancers,” said Maitland.
Maitland, however, warned people not to rush out to buy vitamin A
supplements, which could be toxic and even cancerous in high doses.
Instead he advised people to take vitamin A in their daily diet,
including oily fish, carrots, liver, red pepper and dark leafy vegetables.
“We hope vitamin A will be used to prevent prostate cancer and we
also believe that a derivative of vitamin A could help destroy prostate cancer
cells or make them more treatable once they have started to spread. Clinical
trials based on this research could herald a new dawn in treatment for prostate
cancer patients,” he said.
He said that retinoic acid is already used to treat a blood cancer
and has been extremely successful in improving survival rates to 80 per
cent.
“It has been known for years that low vitamin A in samples of
blood is associated with prostate cancer, but nobody knew the mechanisms
involved. We have for the first time revealed a biological link,” Maitland
said.
The study is published in the journal ‘Nucleic Acids’
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