Children with cancer were deficient in Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and Zinc

Created July 2019

Dietary intake and micronutrient deficiency in children with cancer.

Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2019 Jul 9:e27895. doi: 10.1002/pbc.27895.

Morrell MBG1, Baker R2, Johnson A3, Santizo R4, Liu D5, Moody K1.

NOTE: Zinc increases the amount of vitamin D which actually gets to the tissues     Increased Zinc ==> more activation of Vitamin D Receptor* Both Vitamin D and Vitamin C fight cancers and aid anticancer drugs – May 2018Items in both categories Cancer (not specific ones) and Infant/Child are listed here: {category}

Data regarding micronutrient deficiencies in children with cancer are lacking. We measured micronutrients in a subset of children with cancer (n = 23) participating in a randomized trial of the neutropenic diet. Ninety-six percent of children had ≥1 micronutrient deficiency and 39% had ≥3 micronutrient deficiencies.

  • Eighty-six percent of children had vitamin C deficiency,

  • 87% had 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency,

  • 50% had zinc deficiency, and

  • 13% had vitamin A deficiency.

Dietary intake did not correlate with micronutrient deficiency status. More data are needed regarding the prevalence and etiology of micronutrient deficiencies in children with cancer to further understand their implications and treatment.

Tags: Cancer Infant-Child Vitamin C Zinc