Vitamin D reduces colon cancer in Europe

LONDON, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- A study of more than 520,000 people in 10 Western European nations found high blood levels of vitamin D correlate with lower colon cancer risk, researchers say.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, says several previous studies had already suggested a link between vitamin D and colorectal cancer, but the evidence had been inconclusive with limited information from European populations.

Between 1992-1998, the study participants completed detailed dietary and lifestyle questionnaires and blood samples were collected. The subjects were then tracked for several years, during which time 1,248 cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed and matched with 1,248 healthy controls.

Those with the highest levels of blood vitamin D concentration in their blood had a nearly 40 percent decrease in colorectal cancer risk when compared with those with the lowest levels.

It is still unclear whether inducing higher blood vitamin D concentration via supplements is better than average levels achieved with a balanced diet combined with regular and moderate exposure to outdoor sunlight, the study says.