Vitamin D can inhibit breast cancer

Researchers at Imperial College London (UK) measured vitamin D in blood samples of 279 women with breast cancer, of which 204 were in the early stages of the disease, the rest were in period of disease development.

Vitamin D is found in dairy products (Photo: blubbs.com)

As a result, they found that vitamin D levels in women during the disease period were lower than the vitamin D levels in women with early disease.'It shows that vitamin D has a role to play in the development of breast cancer, ' said Dr Carlo Palmieri of the research group.

The researchers said the next step, they will try to understand why vitamin D can inhibit cancer as well as further study the risk of disease and the exact consequences of disease at the molecular level.

The body produces vitamin D in the skin when we expose ourselves to the sun. This vitamin is also found in supplemental milk and dairy products, cod liver oil and some fatty fish. Previous laboratory studies have also shown that this vitamin can prevent the division of cancer cells.

According to the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) based in Lyon, France, breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women, with more than 1 million people diagnosed with it each year. If detected and treated early, the patient's chances of being saved will be higher.

T.VY