Higher circulating vitamin D levels are associated with a significantly lower risk of colorectal cancer in women, according to a study in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Here are four things to know:
1. The study authors used data from 17 cohorts comprising 5,706 colorectal cancer case participants and 7,107 control participants with a wide range of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations.
2. Circulating vitamin D levels of less than 30 nmol/L — which are considered deficient for bone health by the Institute of Medicine — were associated with a 31 percent greater risk for colorectal cancer compared with levels of 50 to 62.5 nmol/L, the lower range of vitamin D considered sufficient for bone health.
3. Greater vitamin D levels nonsignificantly reduced colorectal cancer risk in men.
4. The researchers noted that optimal 25(OH)D concentrations for colorectal cancer risk reduction, 75-100 nmol/L, are higher than current IOM recommendations.
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