Vitamin D cuts colon cancer death risk: U.S. study

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People with higher vitamin D levels are less likely to die of colorectal cancer, researchers said on Tuesday, but the vitamin does not appear to affect the chances of dying from any other type of cancer.

A number of studies have found protective effects from higher intake of vitamin D for cancer and other ailments.

A team led by U.S. National Cancer Institute epidemiologist Michal Freedman sought to determine whether vitamin D can reduce a person's chances of dying from various cancer types.

The researchers tracked 16,818 people who joined a nationwide U.S. government health survey between 1988 and 1994, following them through 2000. Among them, 536 died of cancer.

The participants provided blood samples that the researchers used to determine the level of vitamin D in their blood.

People with higher levels of vitamin D when they entered the study had about a 72 percent reduced risk of dying from colorectal cancer compared to those with the lowest levels of vitamin D, the researchers reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

The body makes vitamin D when skin is exposed to sunlight. Not many foods are naturally rich in it. It is found in fatty fish such as salmon and milk commonly is fortified with it.

The researchers saw no link between vitamin D levels and the overall risk of dying from cancer, including lung, prostate, breast, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia.