Study finds vitamin D may cut women's cancer risk

WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) Large doses of vitamin D may reduce the risk of cancer, according to a four-year US study published on Friday involving more than 1,100 women over the age of 55 in rural Nebraska.

Women who took calcium and a dose of vitamin D almost three times the government's recommended daily intake for middle-aged adults saw a 60 percent lower incidence of cancer than women who were not taking the vitamin, the study found.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska, was published yesterday in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The researchers said additional research was needed to figure out whether the findings in older white women applied to men, women of different ages and other ethnic groups.

In the study, 50 women developed cancer.

Vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium necessary for developing and maintaining healthy teeth and bones. It is also important to nerve cells, including the brain, and seems to act as a regulator of the immune system.

The body makes the vitamin after being exposed to sunlight. Not many foods are naturally rich in vitamin D but it is found in fatty fish such as salmon and milk, commonly is fortified with it.

REUTERS PY BD0912