Vitamin D – Your most powerful anti-cancer hormone
The most powerful cancer protection ever discovered is naturally occurring Vitamin D. Thousands of research studies have been performed on the health benefits of the fat-soluble vitamin/hormone, showing this important micronutrient has significant beneficial effects in the prevention of cancer and numerous diseases.
Unfortunately, deficiency of Vitamin D is a global pandemic, even in sunny countries like New Zealand. Top Vitamin D researchers estimate that 50 percent of the general population is at risk of Vitamin D insufficiency.
One study published in Cancer Biomarkers and Prevention found that low Vitamin D significantly increases overall cancer risk.
Another study published in Anticancer Research showed that the Vitamin D you make from sunshine lowers your chances of dying from 15 kinds of cancer.
Vitamin D is necessary for a myriad of biological and metabolic functions, with nearly every cell in the body having a receptor for Vitamin D. Vitamin D receptors (VDRs) allow Vitamin D to act on target cells to regulate the expression of over 2000 human genes.
The mechanisms by which Vitamin D reduces the risk of cancer are fairly well understood.
They include enhancing calcium absorption, inducing cell differentiation, increasing apoptosis (programmed cell death), reducing metastasis and proliferation, and reducing angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels).
How much do you need?
The most accurate way to measure how much Vitamin D is in your body is the 25-hydroxy Vitamin D blood test. Optimal levels should be between 100 and 130nmol.
However, before you run to the nearest store to get thousands of units of Vitamin D, it’s important to understand the whole picture. How did we get into this deficient state in the first place? The sun phobia of the last 30 years is a major contributor. People slathering on chemical sunscreens at the first sign of a ray of sun due to fear of skin cancer is a big factor.
Unknown to most, chemical sunscreens are actually more cancer-causing than the sun. If you are fair skinned and need protection greater than your hat and shirt, please use mineral only sunscreens. A large selection of safe sunscreens are now available.
Sources of Vitamin D
The easiest, safest and cheapest way (it’s free) to increase the amount of Vitamin D your body produces is through regular exposure to sunlight. This fact alone should validate the importance of Vitamin D. Imagine, a substance so important that your body figures out how to make it just from sunshine – but getting enough is not easy, especially during the winter months.
Another way to increase your Vitamin D levels is through nutritional supplementation. Although there is no question how critical it is to have optimal levels of Vitamin D, your choice of supplement is also important. The best form of supplemental Vitamin D is cholecalciferol (D3).