THE number of cancer deaths in the UK could drop by 15 per cent if everyone took a vitamin D supplement, according to scientists.
Data gathered from the UK Biobank, an online database of medical and lifestyle records of around 500,000 Brits, indicates deficiency is linked to an increased mortality risk – particularly in relation to bowel, stomach, prostate, and lung cancers.
The researchers said their work, published in Elsevier’s European Journal of Cancer, adds to evidence that vitamin D may have a protective effect against the disease.
While the findings do not explain why this happens, the team said one possibility is that “sunshine supplements” may induce anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and DNA damage repair mechanisms, which can thwart mutations that allow tumours to grow.
Study author Ben Schottker, an epidemiologist at the German Cancer Research Centre, said: “Our findings identified a statistically significant relationship between vitamin D deficiency and increased mortality among several cancers.