Surprising
In one small trial, vitamin D was tied to longer survival and fewer cancer relapses after GI surgery — but the evidence pool is still tiny.
This finding comes from a single RCT within a small systematic review of 11 trials, so it's far from conclusive; the review itself says the evidence is insufficient for strong recommendations.
A systematic review of 11 trials on micronutrients for gastrointestinal surgery patients found that one study linked vitamin D to improved survival time and fewer cancer relapses. The review also saw benefits for quality of life, immune function, and hospital stay, but not for bone density loss. However, due to the limited number of trials, the authors caution that these findings are not robust enough to guide practice.
Where this fits in the evidence
This is among the first studies we've indexed on Vitamin D for Improved Survival Time — treat it as an early signal until more research accumulates.
The study
- Systematic Review
- n = 12
- 2025-12-12
- Frontiers in nutrition
This is a plain-language summary of a research finding, not medical advice. Pillser surfaces research signals to help you decide what's worth investigating — always consult a qualified professional before changing what you take.