Vitamin D helps after colon cancer

Bowel cancer patients with high levels of vitamin D in their blood are more likely to survive the disease, according to research published yesterday.

Scientists who studied almost 1600 patients after surgery for bowel cancer found that those with the highest levels of vitamin D have half the risk of dying of the disease than those with the lowest levels of the vitamin.

Vitamin D, sometimes known as the "sunshine vitamin", is made in the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight and is found in foods such as fish liver oil, eggs and fatty fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel.

It is known to boost the uptake of calcium and bone formation. Some observational studies have suggested a link between low levels of vitamin D and greater risks of many acute and chronic diseases.

Malcolm Dunlop of the Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit at the University of Edinburgh, who led the latest study, said it suggested vitamin D supplements might be worth exploring for bowel cancer patients.