Harvard University study shows link between vitamin D intake and cancer risk
The virtues of vitamin D go beyond a micronutrient necessary for the functioning of the body or essential for bone health. In this sense, a new study developed by Harvard University assures that increasing the intake of this vitamin is related to a 50% lower risk of developing colorectal cancer in early youth.
This is new scientific evidence that shows the benefits of consuming higher amounts of vitamin D, especially from dietary sources, to protect the body against the appearance of colorectal cancer at an early age.
This research has been carried out by scientists from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and other institutions. Thus, the results of this research could suggest a higher intake of vitamin D for the detection and prevention of colorectal cancer in adults under 50 years of age.
Influence of vitamin D on colorectal cancer risk
The experts involved in this research paper argue that the intake of vitamin D from food sources such as fish, mushrooms, eggs and milk has declined in recent decades.
Regarding this groundbreaking new study, the director of the Colorectal Cancer Center notes that «vitamin D has known activity against colorectal cancer in laboratory studies. Because vitamin D deficiency has been steadily increasing in recent years, we wondered whether this might be contributing to the rising rates of colorectal cancer in young people.»
Specifically, following this groundbreaking study, for which you can find more precise data in the following link, the strongest association with vitamin D in reducing the risk of colorectal cancer is found mainly in dairy products.
However, despite this new evidence, which could open a new picture in the relationship between colorectal cancer and vitamin D intake, scientists recommend further research in a larger population sample.
The importance in young adults
In any case, the researchers understood that higher total vitamin D intake is linked to lower risk of early-onset colorectal cancer and precursors.
The lead author of this research paper expounds that «our results further support that vitamin D may be important in younger adults for health and possibly for colorectal cancer prevention.»
He further concludes that it is «critical to understand the risk factors associated with early-onset colorectal cancer so that we can make informed dietary and lifestyle recommendations, as well as identify high-risk individuals to target for early detection».
