Originally published February 6 2006
New study furthers claims that vitamin D fights off many forms of cancer
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The American Journal of Public Health has published a new study of vitamin D that claims daily doses of the vitamin can reduce the risk of colon, breast and ovarian cancers by 50 percent.
Intake of enough vitamin D may drastically lower the risk of developing certain cancers, suggests a study in the Feb. 2006 issue of The American Journal of Public Health.
The findings resulted from a systematic review of more than 60 scientific papers on the association between vitamin D and cancer published between 1966 and 2004, including 30 investigations into colon cancer, 13 of breast cancer, 26 of prostate cancer and seven of ovarian cancer.
The study found that residents of the northeastern US, who are exposed to less sunshine, and African-Americans with dark skin pigments, which prevent sunshine-induced biosynthesis of vitamin D, were at an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency, which is linked to higher risk of cancer.
"African-American women who develop breast cancer are more likely to die from the disease than White women of the same age," said Garlan, professor with UCSD's Moores Cancer Center and the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the UCSD School of Medicine.
"Survival rates are worse among African-Americans for colon, prostate and ovarian cancers as well."
Authors of the study call for prompt public health action to increase intake of vitamin D3 as an inexpensive tool for prevention of diseases that claim millions of lives every year.
"For instance, breast cancer will strike one in eight American women in their lifetime.
Early detection using mammography reduces mortality rates by approximately 20 percent.
But use of vitamin D might prevent this cancer in the first place," said Dr. Garland.
"Calcium, Vitamin D, Dairy Products, and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort" was conducted by McCullough M.L. and colleagues and published in 2003 in Cancer Causes Control.
Vitamin D supplements may be needed to supplement dietary sources of vitamin D, which are likely not enough to provide 1,000 IU daily recommended by the researchers of the current study.
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