Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation in Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review of Randomized Control Trials.

Vitamin D is important in many cellular functions including cell cycling and proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Via the induction of cell cycle arrest and/or apoptosis, vitamin D inhibits normal prostatic epithelial cells growth. Review the evidence of the effect of vitamin D supplementation on prostate cancer (PC) biomarkers and patient survival and assess optimal dosage, formulation and duration. Pubmed, Medline and Ebsco Host databases were systematically searched for relevant literature. 8 Randomized Controlled Trials were included in this review. All studies, besides one, were of high methodological quality. 4 studies used calcitriol (0,5-45 µg/weekly), 2 studies have used vitamin D3 (150-1000 µg/daily) and 2 other studies have used 1α-hydroxy Vitamin D2 (10 µg/ daily or weekly). Duration of supplementation varied between 28 days up to 18.3 months. Two studies had positive effects on prostate specific antigen (PSA) (p < .05), 1 study had a significant positive effect on median survival (p < .05) and 1 study showed a significant reduction of vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression (p < .05). The remaining studies showed negative or no effect on PC characteristics, clinical outcomes and/or survival. Current evidence suggests that vitamin D supplementation in conjunction with standard of care (e.g. chemotherapy, radiation therapy) may confer clinical benefits such as a decrease in serum PSA levels and VDR expression but further research is required to ascertain these results. Calcitriol supplementation in doses ranging from 250-1000 mg for 3-8 weeks or a lower dose of 45 mg for 18.3 months, appear most beneficial regarding outcomes of PC progression and survival.

The Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation in Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Patients: Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of vitamin D supplementation in patients newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) assessed by insulin needs and changes in glycemic indices, as evidenced by randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: A total of 7 RCTs were retrieved from PubMed/Medline and EBSCO databases by MeSH term search, and were reviewed systematically. The RCTs included examined the effects of alphacalcidole (n = 2), cholecalciferol (n = 2), and calcitriol (n = 3) supplementation on changes in daily insulin dose (DID), fasting Cpeptide (FCP), stimulated C-peptide (SCP), and HbA1c. In total, 287 individuals, diagnosed with T1D within a period of 4 weeks to 1 year and aged between 5 to 38 years, were examined. RESULTS: Significant positive effects on DID, FCP, and SCP levels were observed after supplementation with alphacalcidole and cholecalciferol, whereas supplementation with calcitriol showed no effect. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D supplementation in the form of alphacalcidole and cholecalciferol appears to be beneficial in the treatment of T1D patients by attenuating the natural history of the disease.

Impact of N-acetylcysteine and sesame oil on lipid metabolism and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis homeostasis in middle-aged hypercholesterolemic mice.

Hyperlipidemia and stress are important factors affecting cardiovascular health in middle-aged individuals. We investigated the effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and sesame oil on the lipidemic status, liver architecture and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis of middle-aged mice fed a cholesterol-enriched diet. We randomized 36 middle-aged C57bl/6 mice into 6 groups: a control group, a cholesterol/cholic acid diet group, a cholesterol/cholic acid diet group with NAC supplementation, a cholesterol/cholic acid diet enriched with 10% sesame oil and two groups receiving a control diet enriched with NAC or sesame oil. NAC administration prevented the onset of the disturbed lipid profile, exhibiting decreased lipid peroxidation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels, restored nitric oxide bioavailability and reduced hepatic damage, compared to non-supplemented groups. High-cholesterol feeding resulted in increased hypothalamic glucocorticoid receptors (GR) levels, while NAC supplementation prevented this effect. NAC supplementation presented significant antioxidant capacity by means of preventing serum lipid status alterations, hepatic damage, and HPA axis disturbance due to high-cholesterol feeding in middle-aged mice. These findings suggest a beneficial preventive action of plant-derived antioxidants, such as NAC, on lipid metabolism and on the HPA axis.

Evaluation of Chios mastic gum on lipid and glucose metabolism in diabetic mice.

Chios mastic gum (MG), a resin produced from Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia, is reported to possess beneficial cardiovascular and hepatoprotective properties. This study investigated the effect of crude Chios MG on metabolic parameters in diabetic mice. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic 12-week-old male C57bl/6 mice were assigned to three groups: NC (n=9) control; LdM (n=9) animals receiving low dose mastic for 8 weeks (20 mg/kg body weight [BW]); and HdM (n=9) animals receiving high dose mastic (500 mg/kg BW) for the same period. Serum lipid and glucose levels were determined at baseline, at 4 and 8 weeks. Serum total protein, adiponectin, and resistin levels were also measured at the end of the experiment. Histopathological examination for liver, kidney, aorta, and heart lesions was performed. After 4 weeks, MG administration resulted in decreased serum glucose and triglyceride levels in both LdM and HdM, whereas BW levels were reduced in LdM group compared with controls. At the end of the experiment, LdM presented significantly lower serum glucose, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels and improved high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels compared with control group. HdM group had ameliorated serum triglyceride levels. Hepatic steatosis observed in control group was partially reversed in LdM and HdM groups. MG administered in low dosages improves glucose and lipid disturbances in diabetic mice while alleviating hepatic damage.