January 25, 2008 – The farther a person with cancer lives from the poles, the better their chances of survival: prolonged exposure to the sun helps the body fight the disease.
So say researchers who compared death rates from different forms of cancer across latitude, from Australia to Norway.1.
According to their analysis, the countries with the longest periods of sunshine each year are those where populations with cancer lived the longest as a result of cancer. The survival rate was associated with a higher blood level of vitamin D.
Their data indicate that the frequency of the observed forms of cancer – prostate, breast, lung, colorectal and skin – is similar in each of the six countries studied.2. “We observe that vitamin D tends to decrease the death rate associated with cancer,” they specify.
For example, survival rates were higher in Australia, which enjoys longer periods of sunshine annually than others. However, on average, the Australian population has a blood vitamin D concentration 3.4 times higher than in the United Kingdom, and 4.8 times higher than in the Scandinavian countries.
This is why they argue that moderate exposure to the sun – 15 minutes a day – could prove to be more beneficial than harmful for northern populations, like that of Canada.3.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
1. Moan J, Porojnicu AC, et al, Addressing the health benefits and risks, involving vitamin D or skin cancer, of increased sun exposure, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, January 15, 2008, Vol 105, No 2, 668-73.
2. The six countries studied are Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
3. Read about it Exposing to the sun: good for your health?