Supplements and sunlight protection from breast cancer
Some sun exposure and vitamin D supplements may be the most effective means of reducing the risk of breast cancer, suggest findings from a French study.
Numerous studies have linked vitamin D levels to a reduction in the risk of certain cancers, including breast cancer, but much debate has focused on the means to boost vitamin D levels –supplements or sunlight.
According to findings of Dr Engel and his team, such ambiguity may be related to a combination of dietary, supplemental and sunlight exposure as the source of raising vitamin D levels.
The French researchers documented 2,871 cases of breast cancer over the 10 years of their study. While no relationship was observed between dietary and supplemental intakes of the sunshine vitamin, the risk of breast cancer for women residing in regions with the highest average daily UV exposure (living below a latitude of 46°N) combined with high dietary vitamin D intakes was 32 percent lower, while the risk for high UV exposure and high supplemental intakes was reduced by 45 percent.
