Leading Breast Cancer Surgeon Recommends Vitamin D for Women to Cut Breast Cancer Risks

A leading breast cancer surgeon from the U.K., Prof. Kefah Mokbel, recommends all women to consume vitamin D doses daily to prevent breast cancer. He even gives away vitamin D pills to his patients at his private clinic, according to media sources.

Prof. Mokbel has also requested Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, to make these pills freely available as this would result in saving about a 1,000 lives annually.

"I am calling for all women from the age of 20 to be given free Vitamin D supplements on the NHS because it is effective in protecting against breast cancer," Prof. Mokbel said, the Daily Mail reported.

The pills will cost NHS only 12p per woman, Prof. Mokbel said.

It was also found that ballet dancers taking in vitamin D supplement could jump three centimeters higher within a month of taking the supplement. This points towards the fact that the vitamin helps in strengthening the legs, a study said.

Vitamin D is a vital supplement, which helps in combating many diseases like cardiovascular disorders, tuberculosis, cold, flu, cancer and many more other chronic diseases, according to a report.

Another research conducted by the Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Neb, which analyzed menopausal women from rural eastern Nebraska for over four years, revealed that taking vitamin D supplements along with calcium cut about 60 percent risk of cancer, including breast, lung and colon cancer, according to the National Post.

"It's inexpensive, it's safe, and it's easy to take. It's something that should be considered by a lot of people," says Joan Lappe, professor of nursing and medicine at Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Neb. "It's low-risk with maybe a high pay-off."

Prof Mokbel's statements were countered by Jessica Kirby from the Cancer Research U.K.

"There have been a large number of studies about Vitamin D and breast cancer and it looks as if people's Vitamin D levels don't affect breast cancer risk. Trials in which people took Vitamin D supplements have shown no effect," said Kirby, Daily Mail reported.

Around 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S. in 2013, along with 64,640 more cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer, according to breastcancer.org statistics.