The first study found that women with levels of vitamin D classified by the study as "high" lowered their risk of developing breast cancer by 50 percent. Women who had lower levels of vitamin D, but were still above normal, experienced a 10 percent reduction in risk for the disease.
In the second study, women who had high levels of vitamin D during the years when their breasts were forming reduced their breast cancer risk by a third compared to women who had lower levels of the nutrient.
According to British nutrition expert Patrick Holford, these studies prove the need for individuals to maintain high levels of vitamin D in the body through exposure to natural sunlight or supplementing with 25 mcg of the nutrient on a daily basis. That's five times the recommended daily allowance.
Vitamin D fights cancer through a process known as angiogenesis, in which the nutrient blocks the growth of new blood vessels that feed tumors. Holford recommends eating vitamin D-rich foods -- including eggs, and fish, such as salmon or mackerel -- several times a week to maintain high vitamin D levels.
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