IL6 and colorectal cancer: In a mouse model of colorectal cancer, chemically induced by azoxymethane (AOM) exposure, dietary intake of high doses of vitamin D (AIN-93G diet containing 100, 400, 1000, 2500 or 5000 IU cholecalciferol/kg diet) reduced colorectal tumor incidence, number of premalignant lesions and number of visible cancerous lesions [119]; these effects were associated with a reduced inflammatory state with a significant interleukin-6 (IL-6) messenger downregulation, when compared to mice group receiving low doses of vitamin D [121].