Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Vitamin D levels associated with reduced colon cancer, MS risk

High blood levels of vitamin D are associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, according to a new study in the International Journal of Cancer. Analysis revealed that, for every 10 nanograms per milliliter increase in levels of vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) the associated risk of colorectal cancer decreased by 15 percent in study subjects.

People who have spent more time in the sun and those with higher vitamin D levels may be less likely to develop multiple sclerosis, according to a study in Neurology. Previous studies have shown that people living close to the equator are less likely to get multiple sclerosis (MS) than those at higher latitudes, a difference that may be explained by more sun exposure and higher vitamin D levels.

Researchers studied Australian adults who has just started having the first symptoms of MS between 2003 and 2006.They also found a comparison group of people from the same regions of Australia, who matched the subjects in age and gender, but had no signs or symptoms of MS. On average, people with the first signs of MS had been exposed to a smaller "UV dose" -- based on how much time they had spent in the sun and how close to the equator they had lived -- over the course of their lives. People with early MS had vitamin D levels 5 to 10 percent lower than those without MS.

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