Vitamin D helps regulate so many genes that a deficiency has multiple and significant adverse effects, including increasing the risk for breast cancer. Researchers are now recommending that every woman with breast cancer¹ be given large doses of vitamin D. Yes, it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Racing for a cure may not be as important as spending some time in the sun.

I reported back in February that researchers had demonstrated that vitamin D levels were directly responsible for turning on tumor suppressor genes that reduce the likelihood of breast cancer. This new study confirms that women with breast cancer are quite low in vitamin D.

I should also point out that overweight individuals also tend to be low in vitamin D, including postmenopausal women. Obesity itself is an independent risk factor for aggressive breast cancer. The combination of being overweight and poor vitamin D status can be found in millions of American women, as at least half the population is lacking vitamin D. It is a recipe for breast cancer risk – especially when some common fat-soluble environmental toxins² are thrown into the mix.

It should not come as a surprise that keeping vitamin D at an optimal level is predicted to add five years³ to anyone's life based on extending the length of telomeres.