Health
Cancer immunity gets a boost from one common nutrient, study finds: ‘Intrigue and optimism’
Vitamin D could be a surprise weapon against cancer, new research suggests.
A study of mice published in the journal Science last week found that eating a diet rich in vitamin D changed the gut microbiome in a way that boosted cancer immunity.
The micronutrient increased levels of the bacterium Bacteroides fragilis, which has been shown to improve cancer immune response.
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The mice that received vitamin D showed improved responses to cancer immunotherapy and greater immunity to new tumor development, according to researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Aalborg University in Denmark.
“What we’ve shown here came as a surprise — vitamin D can regulate the gut microbiome to favor a type of bacteria that gives mice better immunity to cancer,” said senior study author Caetano Reis e Sousa, head of the Immunobiology Laboratory at Crick, in a press release.
Dietary vitamin D, found in foods including salmon, increased levels of the bacterium Bacteroides fragilis, which has been shown to improve cancer immune response. (iStock)
“This could one day be important for cancer treatment in humans.”
The researchers aren’t yet sure why vitamin D seems to foster a “good” microbiome.
WHY IMMUNOTHERAPY IS EMERGING AS THE ‘FOURTH PILLAR’ OF CANCER TREATMENTS, EXPERTS SAY
“If we can answer this, we might uncover new ways in which the microbiome influences the immune system, potentially offering exciting possibilities in preventing or treating cancer,” said co-author Evangelos Giampazolias, former postdoctoral researcher at the Crick and now group leader of the Cancer Immunosurveillance Group at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, in the release.
Previous studies have linked vitamin D to improved immunity against cancer. (iStock)
Shama Farooq, M.D., a neuro-oncologist at Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, was not involved in the study but shared his comments on the findings.
“As a doctor who treats patients with cancer, my initial reaction to this study was one of intrigue and optimism,” he told Fox News Digital.
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“The findings suggest a potential link between vitamin D levels, the microbiome and cancer immunity, offering potential new avenues for improving cancer treatment and prevention strategies.”
Continued research into improving the body’s immunity against cancer is “crucial,” Farooq noted.
“Cancer is a complex disease with diverse mechanisms of evasion,” he said.
The micronutrient increased levels of the bacterium Bacteroides fragilis, which has been shown to improve cancer immune response. (iStock)
“By exploring new ways to boost the immune system’s ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells, researchers can develop more effective and targeted treatments, ultimately improving patient outcomes and survival rates.”
Based on the findings of this study, Farooq said he recommends people make sure their vitamin D levels are adequate, “as part of a comprehensive approach to potentially lowering their risk of cancer.”
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“While more research is needed to fully understand the relationship, maintaining optimal levels of vitamin D is generally beneficial for overall health and may contribute to reducing cancer risk,” he added.
Studies in humans are needed to learn more about the link between vitamin D and cancer immunity, the researchers acknowledged.
Vitamin D has been linked to improved responses to cancer immunotherapy and greater immunity to new tumor development. (iStock)
“More work is needed before we can conclusively say that correcting a vitamin D deficiency has benefits for cancer prevention or treatment,” said Sousa.
Farooq echoed the need for more research.
“Moving forward, I would like to see further research delve deeper into the mechanisms underlying the interaction between Vitamin D, the microbiome and cancer immunity,” he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.
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Health
I Lost 215 Lbs and Transformed My Health Without GLP-1s and Only Mindset Shifts—Here Are My Biggest Tips
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Health
4 anti-aging approaches revealed in 2025 that may help Americans live longer
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On average, Americans want to live to be 91 years old, according to a recent Pew Research survey — a goal that has driven a focus on longevity-boosting practices.
Over 60% of U.S. adults use supplements and most prioritize long-term health and wellness behaviors as part of an anti-aging approach, research has shown.
In 2025, researchers revealed the following anti-aging discoveries that may help you live a longer life.
COMMON DAILY VITAMIN SHOWN TO SLOW AGING PROCESS OVER 4-YEAR PERIOD
1. Vitamin D could slow the aging process
A study by researchers at Mass General Brigham and the Medical College of Georgia discovered that taking vitamin D supplements may protect against biological aging.
Research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in May 2025 found that supplementing with daily vitamin D3 can reduce biological wear and tear equivalent to nearly three years of aging.
Vitamin D3 supplementation can reduce biological wear and tear equivalent to nearly three years of aging, research has shown. (iStock)
Three months later, researchers at Harvard confirmed this correlation with their own study published in the same journal.
Daily vitamin D3 supplementation was found to prevent the shortening of telomeres, the protective ends on chromosome strands, which is a hallmark of aging.
2. Meditation practices may boost longevity
An April 2025 study by Maharishi International University (MIU), the University of Siegen, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences found that transcendental meditation can significantly alleviate stress and slow down aging.
The long-term meditation practice involves silently repeating a mantra in your head to achieve deep relaxation.
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The study, published in the journal Biomolecules, found that participants who practiced transcendental meditation had lower expression of the genes associated with inflammation and aging.
“These results support other studies indicating that the transcendental meditation technique can reverse or remove long-lasting effects of stress,” co-author Kenneth Walton, a senior researcher at MIU, previously told Fox News Digital. “Lasting effects of stress are now recognized as causing or contributing to all diseases and disorders.”
Those who practiced transcendental mediation had a lower expression of genes associated with aging. (iStock)
3. GLP-1s are linked to reduction in mortality
A September 2025 study discovered that GLP-1 drugs, which are designed for diabetes and weight loss, could significantly reduce mortality for Americans.
Researchers at Swiss Re, a reinsurance company in Zurich, Switzerland, estimated that GLP-1 drugs could lead to a 6.4% reduction in all-cause mortality in the U.S. by 2045. In the U.K., more than a 5% reduction in mortality was projected over the same 20 years.
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Obesity is one factor that has “stalled progress in life expectancy,” as it is linked to 70% of the leading causes of death in high-income countries, according to the researchers.
4. Creativity and socialization could extend lifespan
In October 2025, various research investigated the impact of social engagement on longevity.
A study published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity found that social relationships can slow cellular aging.
A September 2025 study discovered that GLP-1 drugs could significantly reduce mortality for Americans. (iStock)
Researchers at Cornell University explored the long-term benefits of social connections on biological aging.
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“We found that strong social ties can literally slow down the biological aging process,” lead study author Anthony Ong previously said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “Strong social ties appear to work in the background over many years, building a more resilient body by reducing the chronic, low-grade inflammation that is a key driver of accelerated aging.”
Social connection is a major player in extending longevity, research has shown. (iStock)
A similar study was published the same month, revealing that creative activities such as music, dance, painting and even certain video games may help keep the brain biologically younger.
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Researchers from 13 countries — including teams at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland and SWPS University in Poland — analyzed brain data from more than 1,400 adults of all ages worldwide. Those who regularly pursued creative hobbies had brain patterns that appeared younger than their actual age.
Even short bursts of creative activity, such as a few weeks of strategy-based video gaming, had noticeable benefits.
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Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Bardolf and Melissa Rudy contributed reporting.
Health
Hidden factor in cancer treatment timing may affect survival, researchers say
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The time of day patients receive cancer treatments could have an impact on the outcome, a new study suggests.
New research published in Cancer, the official journal of the American Cancer Society, found that patients who received standard immunochemotherapy for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) earlier in the day saw “significantly greater benefit” compared to those who got the same treatment later in the afternoon.
In the study, researchers from the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine at Central South University, China, analyzed data from nearly 400 patients who were treated between May 2019 and October 2023.
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All patients had ES-SCLC and received first-line immunotherapy (atezolizumab or durvalumab) along with chemotherapy, according to a press release.
“Our study found that patients who received immunochemotherapy before 3:00 PM had substantially longer progression-free survival and overall survival,” lead study author Dr. Yongchang Zhang, medical oncologist and chief director at the Hunan Cancer Hospital in Changsha, China, told Fox News Digital.
The time of day patients receive cancer treatments could have an impact on the outcome, a new study suggests. (iStock)
“After adjusting for multiple confounding factors, earlier administration was associated with a 52% lower risk of cancer progression and a 63% lower risk of death.”
“It was quite surprising that simply changing the infusion time could lead to such substantial survival benefits for patients,” he added.
TWO POPULAR TYPES OF EXERCISE COULD REDUCE CANCER GROWTH, STUDY FINDS
The findings align with the idea of chronotherapy, which suggests that the body’s natural daily rhythms affect how the immune system works and how drugs act in the body.
This means cancer treatments may be more effective at certain times of day, likely because immune activity and drug processing change over the 24-hour cycle, the study suggests.
“This study should not prompt patients to delay treatment or panic about appointment times.”
Based on the findings, Zhang recommends scheduling immunotherapy infusions in the early part of the day.
“Research across multiple cancer types has shown that patients receiving immunotherapy earlier in the day experience longer survival,” he noted. “Our findings in non-small cell lung cancer, supported by both multicenter retrospective studies and prospective clinical trials, confirm this pattern.”
NEW CANCER THERAPY HUNTS AND DESTROYS DEADLY TUMORS IN MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH STUDY
Gilberto Lopes, M.D., chief of medical oncology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, noted that previous, similar studies in non-small cell lung cancer have shown better outcomes when immunotherapy is administered earlier in the day, reinforcing the idea that the immune system follows circadian rhythms that influence treatment response.
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“In that sense, the results are biologically plausible and consistent with a growing body of evidence across cancers,” Lopes, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. “What is striking is that this signal now appears in small cell lung cancer, a disease where outcomes have been notoriously difficult to improve.”
All patients had ES-SCLC and received first-line immunotherapy (atezolizumab or durvalumab) along with chemotherapy. (iStock)
The study did have some limitations, as detailed in the published study. Most notably, the study was retrospective and observational, meaning it could not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between timing of treatments and outcomes.
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With this type of study, Lopes said, “investigators start with an idea and go back and review patient records.” In this case, other factors can have an impact on the outcome, according to the oncologist.
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“For instance, did patients who come early in the day have a better quality of life, performance status and socioeconomic status and that is what made the difference?” he asked. “Or something else we don’t know? These results need to be confirmed prospectively to eliminate known and unknown sources of bias.”
“The next step is prospective testing, but until then, this research invites us to rethink something medicine usually ignores: timing itself,” an oncologist said. (iStock)
Zhang also pointed out that this was a single-center study including only Chinese patients. “To obtain more definitive evidence, prospective clinical trials conducted across multiple countries and diverse populations are needed,” he told Fox News Digital.
Looking ahead, the researchers plan to conduct randomized trials to confirm these preliminary findings and pinpoint optimal treatment windows based on individual patients’ chronotypes (internal body clocks).
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“This study should not prompt patients to delay treatment or panic about appointment times,” Lopes cautioned. “But it raises an important, low-cost question for oncology systems: If scheduling flexibility exists, should earlier infusion times be preferred?”
“The next step is prospective testing, but until then, this research invites us to rethink something medicine usually ignores: timing itself.”
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