Two separate studies on vitamin D say the same thing. That if you have breast cancer or colorectal cancer, having good levels of vitamin D in your body increases your chances of survival significantly. It has previously been proven beyond doubt that having high levels of vitamin D in your blood reduces the risk of developing cancer. Now here are two studies on the benefits if you already have cancer.
Researchers from Edinburgh University followed 1600 patients with bowel cancer and found that three quarters of the patients with the highest vitamin D levels were still alive at the end of five years, compared with less than two thirds of those with the lowest levels.
Professor Cedric F. Garland and his team at San Diego Medical School, University of California, reviewed 5 studies involving 4,443 breast cancer patients and saw much the same thing. Women with high levels of vitamin D in their blood stream were more than twice as likely to survive breast cancer as those with low levels.
Other studies covered in Cancer Watch have shown that on breast cancer diagnosis 82 per cent of women have low vitamin D levels, at around 20 ng/ml. Experts from the Boston Medical School think the ideal figure should be more that 75 ng/ml and even the NHS talks of 35-40 ng/ml.
Go To: Vitamin D - are you getting enough?
Worryingly, at CANCERactive we have highlighted three research studies that show chemotherapy can halve your vitamin D levels, just when you need them to be good.
Public Heath UK in 2006 recommended that if people could not get out in the sun during the day, they should supplement.