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________________________________
Daniel Braun
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 8:56 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list OB-GYN-L
Subject: Re: Global View Shows Link Between Endometrial Cancer and
Vitamin D Status
Is this because obese women stay inside more than non-obese women and
hence is only an association just like hypertension???????
Dan
On Nov 15, 2007 7:10 AM, Dr. John Provatopoulos B.Sc . M.D.C.M. F.R.S.C.
<johnprov@sympatico.ca> wrote:
Global View Shows Link Between Endometrial Cancer and Vitamin D Status
SAN DIEGO, CA -- November 14, 2007 -- Using newly available data on
worldwide cancer incidence, researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at
University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have shown a clear
association between deficiency in exposure to sunlight, specifically
ultraviolet B (UVB), and endometrial cancer.
UVB exposure triggers photosynthesis of vitamin D3 in the body. This
form of vitamin D is also available through diet and supplements.
Previous studies from this research team have shown associations between
higher levels of vitamin D3 and lower risk of cancers of the breast,
colon, kidney and ovary.
Approximately 200,000 cases and 50,000 deaths from endometrial cancer
occur annually worldwide, including 41,000 new cases and 7,400 deaths in
the United States.
The study will be published November 16, 2007, in the journal Preventive
Medicine.
"This is the first study, to our knowledge, to show that higher serum
levels of vitamin D are associated with reduced risk of endometrial
cancer," said Cedric F. Garland, Dr. P.H., professor of Family and
Preventive Medicine in the UCSD School of Medicine, and member of the
Moores UCSD Cancer Center. "Previous epidemiological studies have
focused on estrogen levels - either natural or through hormone
replacement therapy - which play the major role in development of the
disease, and on fat intake, which plays a smaller role. Since most
women cannot control their natural levels of estrogen, and very low
levels of fat intake are not acceptable to most American women, this
article provides evidence that vitamin D adequacy should be considered
as part of a comprehensive program for prevention of this cancer."
This paper used worldwide data only recently available through a new
tool called GLOBOCAN, developed by the World Health Organization's
International Agency for Research on Cancer. GLOBOCAN is a database of
cancer incidence, mortality and prevalence for 175 countries.
The researchers created a graph with a vertical axis for endometrial
cancer incidence rates, and a horizontal axis for latitude. The
latitudes range from -50 for the southern hemisphere, to zero for the
equator, to +70 for the northern hemisphere. They then plotted
incidence rates for 175 countries according to latitude. The resulting
chart was a parabolic curve that looks like a smile.
"In general, endometrial cancer incidence was highest at the highest
latitudes in both hemispheres," said Garland. "Even after controlling
for known variables such as cloud cover, meat intake, weight, skin
pigmentation and others, the association remained strong."
In the paper, the authors caution that this was a study of aggregates,
or countries, rather than individuals; findings that apply to aggregates
may not apply to individuals. They recommend further research to study
individuals for the effect of vitamin D from sunlight, diet and
supplements on the risk of endometrial cancer.
This is the third environmental paper from this research team to show a
strong association between vitamin D and cancer using global incidence
data (GLOBOCAN). The first paper, which illuminated a similar pattern
for kidney cancer, was published Sept. 15, 2006, in the International
Journal of Cancer. The second, on ovarian cancer, was published Oct.
31, 2006, in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
SOURCE: University of California - San Diego
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Take care, John
--
R. Daniel Braun, MD FACOG(L) CMT
Professor Emeritus
Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Indiana U. School of Medicine
R. Daniel Braun
"Science without Religion is LAME; Religion without Science is
BLIND"
Einstein 1941
