600,000 cases a year of breast and colorectal cancer could be prevented each year by adequate intake of vitamin D, according to researcher.
A new study looking at the relationship between vitamin D serum levels and the risk of colon and breast cancer across the globe has estimated the number of cases of cancer that could be prevented each year if vitamin D3 levels met the target proposed by researchers.
Cedric F. Garland, Dr.P.H., cancer prevention specialist at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and colleagues estimate that 250,000 cases of colorectal cancer and 350,000 cases of breast cancer could be prevented worldwide by increasing intake of vitamin D3, particularly in countries north of the equator.
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“This could be best achieved with a combination of diet, supplements and short intervals – 10 or 15 minutes a day – in the sun,” said Garland. It could be less for very fair-skinned individuals. He went on to say that “the appropriate dose of vitamin D in order to reach this level, could be very little in a lifeguard in Southern California… or quite a lot for someone in Northern Europe who tends to remain indoors most of the year.”
The serum level recommended by the study would correspond to intake of 2000 International Units per day of vitamin D3 for a meaningful reduction in colorectal cancer. The researchers recommend 2000 IU/day, plus, when weather allows, a few minutes in the sun with at least 40% of the skin exposed, for a meaningful reduction in breast cancer incidence, unless the individual has a history of skin cancer or a photosensitivity disease.
Garland also recommends moderate sun exposure and use of clothing and a hat when in the sun longer than 15 minutes.
The new research review on vitamin D and cancer comes from scientists including Cedric Garland, DrPH, of the University of California at San Diego's family and preventive medicine department.
They cite 29 observational studies in their report, which appears in the journal Nutrition Reviews.
Garland and colleagues combined data from the observational studies. They conclude that in North America, "a projected 50% reduction in colon cancer incidence would require a universal intake of 2,000 IU per day of vitamin D3."
"A similar reduction in breast cancer incidence would require 3,500 IU per day," write the reviewers, cautioning that such a dose exceeds the Institute of Medicine's tolerable upper limit for vitamin D.
Vitamin D may help prevent cancer in several ways, including maintaining healthy cells with normal life spans, discouraging out-of-control cell reproduction, and hindering the formation of new blood vessels for tumors, according to the reviewers.
Vitamin D doesn't just come in supplements. It's also found in some foods -- including salmon, tuna, and some fortified dairy products and cereals.
The body also makes vitamin D when exposed to sunshine. Garland's team recommends getting three to 15 minutes of sun exposure on sunny days, with 40% of the skin exposed without sunscreen.
SOURCES: Garland, C. Nutrition Reviews, August 2007; vol 65: pp S91-S95. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: "Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin D." Reuters
Vitamin D May Lower Risk of Advanced Breast Cancer
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- A research team from the Northern California Cancer Center, the University of Southern California, and Wake Forest University School of Medicine has found that increased exposure to sunlight – which increases levels of vitamin D in the body -- may decrease the risk of advanced breast cancer.
In a study reported online this week in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the researchers found that women with high sun exposure had half the risk of developing advanced breast cancer, which is cancer that has spread beyond the breast, compared to women with low sun exposure.
Vitamin D and Cancer - Update
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