Cancer Commentary - Caring About Cancer

Sunlight Against Breast Cancer

by Gloria Gamat on August 9th, 2007

While avoiding too much sunshine will reduce one’s risk of skin cancer, it will on the other hand increase one’s risk of breast cancer.

The majority of vitamin D comes from exposure of the skin to sunlight but many women – exposed less in winter and reluctant to bare themselves in summer because of the dangers – are deficient.

There has been anecdotal evidence to suggest that breast cancer is less common among women who live closer to the Equator, where the sunshine is stronger.

But a new study conducted by Creighton University provided evidence that the lower the levels of vitamin D in a woman’s blood-stream, the greater the risk of her developing breast cancer at post-menopausal stage.

“Our findings of decreased all-cancer risk with improved vitamin D status are consistent with a large and still growing body of epidemiologic and observational data showing that cancer risk, cancer mortality, or both are inversely associated with solar exposure, vitamin D status, or both.”

Sunshine is the major source of Vitamin D (where Vitamin D is manufactured in the skin by exposure to sunlight), but it is also present in foods such as milk, eggs, oily fish, green vegetables and fortified margarines.

I remember what one commenter her said…something like you really cannot win: one thing may be bad for something but good for another.

Sunlight is the perfect example. Expose yourself to it, you get skin cancer but not breast cancer -according to this study’s findings.

But I guess you can think of ways to benefit from both. Like if you are brown like me, I should already have a built-in protection from the harmful rays of the sun. Or maybe live in the tropics… or something.

Source: Times Online

Share This

Related Stories

Less Sunlight Can Increase Risk of Lung Cancer
Light Responsive Iron Chelator: New Suncreen Ingredient That Heals Sunburn, Prevents Skin Cancer
Breast cancer
About Healing From A Lumpectomy On A Lactating Breast
Do you know how to perform a self breast exam?

POSTED IN: Breast cancer, ~ Anti-cancer treatments ~