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Vitamin D may have benefits against many forms of cancer

Updated: 2009-04-27 19:18:34 CST Category: Vitamin D Deficiency-Diagnosis and Treatment

by Laurent Castellucci

Vitamin D from the sun may be a powerful cancer fighter, particularly against colon and breast cancer.

A review of studies examining vitamin D from solar production and cancer since 2000 shows a strong link between vitamin D from solar sources and reductions in the rates of colon and breast cancer, as well some beneficial links with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, kidney and ovarian cancer.

"This study is further evidence that getting a daily dose of sunshine is useful in the prevention of many types of cancer," said Jim Sheperd, president of the UV foundation, in an article appearing in the Naples Daily News.

William B. Grant, director of the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center in San Francisco, told the Daily News that he believes the support for the UVB-vitamin D-cancer theory is strong enough to warrant the use of vitamin D as a part of a cancer prevention and treatment strategy. Grant recommends 4,000 IU of vitamin D daily for prevention.

Vitamin D levels can be determined easily by a simple vitamin D test. Most people get vitamin D from the sun, with an additional small contribution coming from their diet.

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