It doesn’t seem that long ago that every other article on health seemed to be extolling the virtues of vitamin D. Today, not so much.
Don’t get me wrong. Vitamin D hasn’t suddenly taken a turn for the worse. It’s just that, as new studies are completed, we are learning more about what it doesn’t do. And it seems clear that popping large quantities of vitamin D is not the solution to every health problem.
When it comes to cancer, however, we know a few things for sure. One, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to several cancers, including breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers. This doesn’t mean that the reverse is true; ingesting large amounts of vitamin D doesn’t necessarily lower the risk of these cancers in a person whose baseline vitamin D level is normal. But if your level of vitamin D is below normal, supplementation is probably a good idea. One study found that more than 75% of cancer patients were low in this nutrient.
That’s the main reason you should know your vitamin D level and monitor it over time. To measure it, a phlebotomist will draw a blood sample and assess 25-hydroxyvitamin D. A blood level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D below 10 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) indicates vitamin D deficiency. Levels between 10 and 30 ng/mL indicate insufficiency. Some physicians recommend even higher levels to stave off cancer. For example, I recently consulted a physician who specializes in integrative medicine, and she recommended that I increase my vitamin D level to 50 to 100 ng/mL.
You can ask your doctor to order a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test next time you have bloodwork done. Your doctor can also advise you about whether supplementation is a good idea in your case. Be aware, however, that some doctors are more up to date on this nutrient than others.
End cancer now 