Breast Cancer Partnership is part of the Cancer Recovery International Group. This group of charities has been pioneering and promoting integrative care for decades. Our research with nearly 20,000 cancer survivors means that we have first-hand information about what has worked for real people, and what they have experienced when recovering from cancer.

Many of our early messages are now being adopted by the wider health care community. However, there is still a long way to go to ensure that every single person is able to protect and recover from cancer through a combination of treatments and lifestyle changes.

Vitamin D Promise

One thing we are especially keen to pioneer and promote now is the importance of vitamin D. Recent and extensive scientific research has shown that receiving adequate levels of vitamin D can reduce a woman’s chance of developing breast cancer by 222%. It can also increase a breast cancer woman’s chance of surviving breast cancer by 77%. These are huge and hopeful numbers.

There is not enough knowledge of vitamin D’s importance amongst health care professionals, the Government and the women who can benefit. The reasons behind this are complex.

Firstly, it was only recent advances in science that allowed us to realise vitamin D was needed for more than bone health. It is a hormone which is used by many organs in the body to remain healthy and function efficiently. The NHS and the Government are not fully up-to-date with this. Our national recommended daily allowances are therefore too low. They are being reviewed, but this will take a few years to be completed and any changes implemented.

Secondly, the past few years has seen increased anti-sun lobbying. This has led us to fear the sun as a cause of premature ageing and skin cancer. While extreme exposure to the sun can lead to both these things, it is not something we should completely avoid. Sun, in moderation, is very important to our health. Acknowledging and acting on this is important.

What are we doing?

We are running awareness campaigns aimed at individuals and health care professionals, making sure they understand why vitamin D is important, how everyone can get it and who is at particular risk of a deficiency.

We are working with other charities and campaign groups who want to see change to vitamin D recommendations. They represent a range of health issues- including multiple sclerosis, mental health and diabetes- because vitamin D deficiencies can be linked to all of these too.

We are advising businesses how vitamin D could affect their customers and employees, and the business opportunity they could realise by ensuring everyone receives enough vitamin D.

And we have released our own recommendations that we think you should follow:
· Be sure to get more sunshine. Don’t burn, but do spend time outdoors when your skin is touched by the sun.
· Eat more oily fish- such a salmon and mackerel- and up the number of mushrooms, eggs and tofu that you eat.
· Take a daily supplement of 2,000 IU every day, or 5,000 IU if you are living with cancer.