Take more vitamin D, cancer group tells Canadians

The Canadian Cancer Society says all Canadian adults should take large doses of vitamin D during the sun-poor winter months, and says the elderly and those with dark skins should take the supplements year round.

The unusual recommendation to an entire adult population follows this week's release of a report that said large doses of vitamin D can cut the risk of cancer. People get vitamin D from exposure to sunshine, although some foods contain the vitamin and tablets are available as supplements.

"The sun is just not strong enough at our latitude to be able to produce vitamin D in the skin at those times (winter and fall)," said Heather Chappell, senior manager, cancer control policy, at the Canadian Cancer Society.

"This is a made-in-Canada recommendation because our population is at greater risk because of its latitude."

The society recommends that adults take 1,000 international units of vitamin D a day during fall and winter, while the elderly, dark-skinned people, or those who don't go outside often, should consider supplements year round.

The latest study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that women who took calcium and a dose of vitamin D almost three times the government's recommended daily intake saw a 60 percent lower incidence of cancer than women who were not taking the vitamin.

source : news.yahoo.com