Studies show that women who intake more vitamin D are at decreased risk for cancer. Research from 1980 suggested that a deficiency in vitamin D could be connected to colon cancer. Populations at higher latitudes with less sunlight were more deficient in vitamin D and were more susceptible to colon cancer. Later studies confirmed that lower vitamin D levels increased risk for breast, lung and bladder cancer.
A recent study, published in PLoS One, measured vitamin D levels in the blood of a group of women. Researchers gathered data from two previous studies on vitamin D as well. The Lappe study involved a randomized clinical trial of 1,169 women. The other study, Grassroots Health, was a cohort study of 1,135 women. The researchers discovered that the median blood serum level of vitamin D in the Lappe study was 30 ng/mL and 48 ng/mL in the Grassroots Health cohort study.
The age-adjusted cancer incidence was 1,020 per 100,000 person-years in the Lappe study and 722 per 100,000 person-years in the Grassroots Health cohort study. As vitamin D levels increased, cancer incidence decreased. In fact, women with serum levels of vitamin D greater than 40 ng/mL reduced their risk for cancer by 67 percent compared to women with serum levels of 20 ng/mL or less (Source: Oncology Nurse Advisor).
Ladies, it’s time to increase your intake of vitamin D. It could mean lowering your risk for colon cancer. Good sources of vitamin D are found in milk, egg yolks, cheese, and fatty fish such as tuna, salmon and mackerel. Also, about 10 minutes of outdoor sunlight is sufficient to increase levels of vitamin D, so take a walk, weed a flower bed or read a book in the sunshine to boost your vitamin D and prevent cancer!