Preventing breast cancer can be as easy as going outside

by Martha Edwards, The Cancer Blog on Aug 12, 2007

Filed under: Breast Cancer, Environment, Vitamins and nutrients

Though spending time in the sun is generally considered a bad thing as far as skin cancer goes, it can help prevent breast cancer. A study shows that women who stay inside more often are at a high risk for breast cancer than those who spend time outside. What's more, breast cancer is less prevalent closer to the equator, where sunlight is more common. The key ingredient is the valuable Vitamin D that exposure to the sun provides, though I would be interested to know if it makes a difference whether people get natural vitamin D from the sunlight or if similar health benefits could be derived simply from staying inside and taking vitamin D supplements. I tend to think that people who get outside are generally healthier overall than those who are housebound.

This isn't the green light to spend your days cooking your skin under the hot sun in the hopes of achieving that golden brown glow, though. While sunlight in important, it's also important to take precautions in the sunlight, like covering up and wearing sunscreen.

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