Harvard scientists say that adequate levels of vitamin D in the body can protect against the development of colorectal cancer - cancer of the colon and rectum, according to Pannochka, an online publication for girls and women aged 14 to 35.. net Their recent study showed that vitamin D enhances the immune system's response to cancer cells.

“People with high levels of vitamin D in their blood have a relatively low risk of developing colorectal cancer.. Laboratory experiments show that vitamin D has a positive effect on immune function by activating T-lymphocytes that recognize and attack cancer cells,” explains lead researcher Dr. Shuji Ogino, professor at Harvard School of Public Health..

To try to better understand the relationship between vitamin D and the immune system, Dr. Ogino and colleagues analyzed data from 942 patients who participated in two long-term studies.. Among them, 318 people were diagnosed with colorectal cancer..

All participants donated blood in the 1990s, long before cancer was discovered in some of them.. Researchers analyzed preserved blood samples for 25-hydroxyvitamin D, which accurately reflects the amount of this vitamin in the body..

It turned out that people whose samples had a high content of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the risk of colorectal cancer was markedly lower, and the number of immune cells in the blood was higher.. The authors say these data suggest a link between vitamin D and immune system function..

“In the future, we may be able to predict an individual's risk of colon and rectal cancer from vitamin D levels and blood levels of immune cells.. Skin cancer aside, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer among men and women in the United States.. These are the statistics of the American Cancer Society,” Ogino writes in his article..

Lifestyle, nutrition and cancer.

Dr Mark Flannagan, Executive Director of British charity Beating Bowel Cancer, says: “This is a very interesting study, but more work needs to be done to determine the role of vitamin D.. Be that as it may, and today we know several ways to reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer - these are simple changes in lifestyle and nutrition..

Dr. Flannagan speaks of the following changes:.

•Restriction of red meat and sausages.

•Regular exercise.

•Complete cessation of smoking.

•Alcohol restriction medbe. en.