Vitamin D3 Protects Against Endometrial Cancers

Increased dietary intakes of vitamin D3 can prevent the cancer causing effects of obesity by up to 42 percent, according to researchers.

Vitamin D3 has been shown to be helpful in a number of cancers, but for endometrial cancer, our study suggests it protect only against cancer that develops due to obesity, said Dr Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, lead investigator of the research and Professor of Oncology at Georgetown University.

Endometrial cancer is the fifth most common cancer among women, with over 41,000 new diagnoses in the United States each year.

Exposure to high estrogen levels is the main risk for endometrial cancer. Another major factor is obesity, which is know to elevate chances of developing the cancer by between three and five fold.

The connection between vitamin D3 intake and cancer protection dates from the 1940s when Frank Apperly demonstrated a link between latitude (how far north you are from the equator)and deaths from cancer-suggesting that sunlight gave "a relative cancer immunity". SINCE THEN NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE SUGGESTED ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN VITAMIN D3 AND LOWER RISKS OF MANY CANCERS.