The virtues of vitamin D go beyond a micronutrient necessary for the functioning of the organism or essential for the health of the bones. In this sense, a new study developed by the Harvard University ensures that increasing the intake of this vitamin is related to a 50% lower risk of developing colorectal cancer in early youth.
This is new scientific evidence that shows the benefits of consuming higher amounts of vitamin D , especially from dietary sources, to protect the body against to the appearance of colorectal cancer at an early age.
This research has been carried out by scientists from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and other institutions. Thus, the results of the same could suggest a higher intake of vitamin D for the detection of the prevention of colorectal cancer for adults under 50 years.
Influence of vitamin D on the risk of colorectal cancer
The experts participating in this research work argue that the consumption of vitamin D from food sources such as fish, mushrooms, eggs and milk has decreased in recent decades.
VitaminRegarding this new and innovative study, the director of the Colorectal Cancer Center points out that “vitamin D has known activity against colorectal cancer in laboratory studies. Because vitamin D deficiency has risen steadily in recent years, we wonder if this could be contributing to rising rates of colorectal cancer in young people. ”
Specifically, after this innovative study, of which you can find more precise data in the following link, the strongest association with vitamin D to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer is found mainly in dairy products.
However, despite this new evidence, which could open up a new panorama in the relationship between colorectal cancer and vitamin D intake, scientists recommend conducting more research in this regard in a larger sample of the population.
The importance in young adults
In any case, the researchers understood that a higher total intake of vitamin D is associated with a lower risk of early-onset and precursor colorectal cancer.
The lead author of this research paper states that “our results further support that vitamin D may be important in younger adults for health and possibly for the prevention of colorectal cancer.”
In addition, it concludes that it is «essential to understand the risk factors associated with early-onset colorectal cancer so that we can make informed recommendations on diet and lifestyle, as well as identify high-risk people to whom what to target for early detection. ”
