D-lete breast and colon cancer
Increase your intake of vitamin D, or you could be increasing your risk of breast and colon cancer. So says a recent study that underscores the importance of this vitamin in staving off those cancers, as well as other nasty diseases like arthritis, cardiovascular diseases and even multiple sclerosis.
Researchers compiled data from studies which showed that there was a link between intake of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and the incidence of breast and colon cancers.
Their findings support that we just aren't getting enough of this critical vitamin: On average, adults are only getting about 230 IUs per day. Not near enough— that number should be closer to 2,000 IUs per day for many of us, so it's not too hard to do the math. Ladies and gentlemen—we've got an official vitamin deficiency on our hands.
Not only that, but folks are also taking the wrong kind—vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol, found in many multivitamins) has been the dominant form taken, instead of D3 (cholecalciferol). D2 just doesn't hang around long enough in the body, compared to D3.
What's more, the research shows that if we were taking the correct amount and type of vitamin D, we could knock the incidence of breast and colon cancers in half. Now, that's a number to aim for. The researchers projected that in order to reduce colon cancer incidence by this amount, we'd all need to take 2,000 IUs per day and, in order to reduce breast cancer incidence, 3,500 IUs per day.
I've long been a proponent of taking vitamin D—and the right amount.
So here's what you need to know, and where I start when treating my own patients. When it comes to vitamin D3, the sun is your ally. That's because D3 is produced when sunlight touches your skin. Those who live in Northern climates that receive less light in the winter tend to have lower levels of vitamin D. Since I live and practice in New England I almost always test my patients' vitamin D levels, and I recommend you have your levels checked, too—especially if you live in a Northern climate.
Ask your doctor for a 25-hydroxy vitamin D level test. You'll want your levels to be in the range of 40 nanomoles per liter. And then get yourself a good D3 supplement to keep it in a healthy range. Based on this study (as well as other clear evidence) that amounts ranging well over 2,000 units per day are safe— some expert estimates place the safe upper-end at 10,000 units per day—most of us should be looking at getting 2,000 units per day. Patients with deficiencies often need up to 5,000 units per day to restore desirable levels.
