VITAMIN D REDUCES RISK OF CANCER: STUDY

A Landmark American study reported in the Globe and Mail online states a dramatic link between vitamin D deficiency and rates of cancer. Scientists have long been puzzled by the statistical differences between the lower cancer rates in the developing countries in the southern hemisphere and the higher rates in the northern hemisphere. Now, this study sheds some light on why this might have been occurring. The study in question was conducted on Women and was a double-blind placebo controlled type. It found that in women taking more than 1000iu of vitamin D from supplements daily had a 60% less chance of developing cancers. While only 15-30 minutes of direct sunshine is enough to allow our bodies to produce high amounts of vitamin D naturally, this can often be difficult in northern climates where people are often inside during winter or completely covered with clothing. The study authors recommended taking 1000iu of vitamin D daily to ensure optimum levels of this important nutrient. For many reasons, Canadians are among the people most at risk of not having enough vitamin D. This is due to a quirk of geography, to modern lifestyles and to the country's health authorities, who have unwittingly, if with the best of intentions, played a role in creating the vitamin deficiency. Click here to read the complete Vitamin D article at the globeandmail.com.