(NaturalPath) According to a study out of the University of California – San Diego and published in PLOS ONE, higher levels of vitamin D – specifically serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D – are associated with a correspondingly reduced risk of cancer.
“We have quantitated the ability of adequate amounts of vitamin D to prevent all types of invasive cancer combined,” said Cedric Garland, DrPH, adjunct professor in the UC San Diego School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine and Public Health.
The first connection between vitamin D deficiency and some cancers was made in 1980 by Garland and his late brother. They noted the higher latitudes were more likely to be vitamin D deficient and also have higher rates of colon cancer. They later found vitamin D was also linked to other cancers, such as breast, lung and bladder.
The researchers measured the results through blood tests. They found that the cancer incidence decreased with an increased 25(OH)D. Also, women with levels of 40 ng/ml or greater had a 67 percent lower risk of cancer than women with levels of 20 ng/ml or less.
According to Garland, there doesn’t seem to be a particular level of vitamin D that is optimal, but just go out and get some sun!
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.