ABSTRACT
Vitamins are vital natural micronutrients required for the synthesis of various precursor molecules, human metabolism, and the proper functioning of the human body (coenzymes or enzymes). They come under the category of natural antioxidants, having potential effects on cancer prevention. Vitamins have emerged as a potent contender for the chemoprevention of various cancers, such as colon cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer, among others. Vitamins not only serve as antioxidant adjuvants, having apoptotic and antiangiogenic properties but also show inhibitory effects in cancer cell metastasis. Nutritional components along with vitamins have been reported to inhibit molecular and signal transduction mechanisms. Several types of research that investigated this association in recent years have revealed that vitamins are critical in health and human disease. Many of the activities of vitamin A are attributed to cell death and differentiation regulation processes and play a vital contribution in the regulation of malignant transformations of cells. Vitamins D, E, and K regulate critical biological functions, such as cell differentiation, proliferation, growth factors gene expression, signal transmission, angiogenesis, apoptosis, and transcription factor modulation (Fos and Myc). This chapter discusses the work and more key findings acquired in recent years of research on the association between vitamins and cancer—namely, vitamins A, B complex, C, D, E, and K.
