The four-year study, conducted by the Creighton University School of Medicine, investigated the cancer risk of 1 179 post-menopausal women from rural Nebraska.

The women, all 55 years and older, had been free of cancer for 10 years prior to the start of the study.

One group of women was given between 1 400mg and 1 500mg of calcium supplements as well as Vitamin D3 supplements at three times the recommended daily allowance.

The second group was given calcium supplementation only while another group was given a placebo.

The study found that those receiving the Vitamin D supplementation showed a 77% reduction in skin cancer risk.

During the study 50 participants developed cancers of the breast, colon and lung.

The study reports that medical experts have expressed a need to increase the recommended dosage of vitamin D although there is still a debate regarding the appropriate dosage. Vitamin D supplementation is available in two forms – Vitamin D2 found in plants and is not produced by humans and D3 which can be generated by between 10 to 25 minutes of exposure to the sun. Researchers recommend vitamin D3 because it is more active and effective in humans.

But Dr Carl Albrecht, Head of Research at the Cancer Association of South Africa warned that for the study to be relevant for South Africa it would have to be done among the local population.

The study needs to be done using South African participants of all races to measure the effects of taking the supplements

Professor Joan Lappe, principal investigator of the study agreed that further studies were needed to determine whether the Creighton research results applied to other populations, including men, women of all ages, and different ethnic groups. While the study was open to all ethnic groups, all participants were Caucasian, she noted.

Albrecht said lack of funds was a stumbling block for CANSA to follow up on such studies but expressed the hope that other institutions such as the Medical Research Council or South African universities would follow up on the Nebraska study.

The full report is available at http://www2.creighton.edu/publicrelations/newscenter/news/2007/june2007/june82007/vitamind_cancer_nr060807/index.php

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