The majority of vitamin D comes from exposure of the skin to sunlight but many women – exposed less in winter and reluctant to bare themselves in summer because of the dangers – are deficient.

There has been anecdotal evidence to suggest that breast cancer is less common among women who live closer to the Equator, where the sunshine is stronger.

But a new study conducted by Creighton University provided evidence that the lower the levels of vitamin D in a woman’s blood-stream, the greater the risk of her developing breast cancer at post-menopausal stage.

“Our findings of decreased all-cancer risk with improved vitamin D status are consistent with a large and still growing body of epidemiologic and observational data showing that cancer risk, cancer mortality, or both are inversely associated with solar exposure, vitamin D status, or both.”

Sunshine is the major source of Vitamin D (where Vitamin D is manufactured in the skin by exposure to sunlight), but it is also present in foods such as milk, eggs, oily fish, green vegetables and fortified margarines.

I remember what one commenter her said…something like you really cannot win: one thing may be bad for something but good for another.

Sunlight is the perfect example. Expose yourself to it, you get skin cancer but not breast cancer -according to this study’s findings.

But I guess you can think of ways to benefit from both. Like if you are brown like me, I should already have a built-in protection from the harmful rays of the sun. Or maybe live in the tropics… or something.

Source: Times Online

Post from: Blisstree

Sunlight Against Breast Cancer