We’re frequently asked in our comment section about: vitamin d and cancer. Hopefully by the end of this article you’ll have no doubts about this subject.
Isolating The Effects Of Vitamin D
The body produces vitamin D when the skin is exposed to sunlight. Observational studies have suggested that people who take vitamin D supplements may have a lower risk of many diseases. But “people who take vitamins may be very different in important ways from people who don’t take vitamins,” explained Dr. Kramer.
They often have a higher income and are less likely to smoke, less likely to be overweight, and more likely to have health insurance, he added—all of which are strongly linked with a lower risk of a variety of chronic health conditions, including heart disease and many cancers. The trial’s primary endpoints—the key outcomes it measured—were the supplements’ impact on the risk of developing cancer and heart disease. Almost 26,000 participants with no history of invasive cancer or cardiovascular disease enrolled in the trial.
Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups: daily vitamin D plus a placebo, omega-3 supplements plus a placebo, both vitamin D and omega-3 supplements, or two placebos. The researchers used these samples to measure blood levels of vitamin D and omega-3s in the different groups.
Abstract
A PubMed database search yielded 63 observational studies of vitamin D status in relation to cancer risk, including 30 of colon, 13 of breast, 26 of prostate, and 7 of ovarian cancer, and several that assessed the association of vitamin D receptor genotype with cancer risk.
The majority of studies found a protective relationship between sufficient vitamin D status and lower risk of cancer. The evidence suggests that efforts to improve vitamin D status, for example by vitamin D supplementation, could reduce cancer incidence and mortality at low cost, with few or no adverse effects.
Myth: Vitamin D Can Help Prevent All Cancers.
Y need a supplement.
Your doctor may also want to test your blood to see how much vitamin D you have. Finally, if a fear of cancer is the main reason you want to take vitamin D, tell your doctor about that, too. It’s true there may be some promising findings about vitamin D in some types of cancer, such as colorectal and breast cancers.
But you should also find out about other, proven ways to lower your odds of getting cancer.
Do I Need To Sunbathe To Get Enough Vitamin D?
we can also get some vitamin D from foods such as egg yolks, fresh or tinned oily fish (for example, mackerel or sardines), fish liver oils, some margarines and fortified cereals. Low levels of vitamin D (vitamin D deficiency) can cause health problems.
These include bone problems in adults, and rickets (bone deformities) in children. Short breaks in the sun (minutes, not hours) without sun protection should be enough for people with lighter skin that burns easily. But if you have darker skin that hardly ever burns, you might need longer to make enough vitamin D.
And remember, too much sun can cause sunburn and increase the risk of skin cancer.
Who May Not Be Getting Enough Vitamin D?
supplement throughout the year. The NHS also has recommendations for children and babies. The government recommends that everyone takes a vitamin D supplement between October and the end of March, when the sun’s rays are weaker.
Does Vitamin D Deficiency Cause Cancer?
There isn’t enough good evidence to link low levels of vitamin D (vitamin D deficiency) to cancer. But vitamin D deficiency can cause other health conditions, including rickets in children and bone problems in adults. Vitamin D supplements are useful to prevent some health conditions.