Risk of developing ovarian cancer is much lower in women living in warmer regions

HBNS- The risk of developing Ovarian Cancer is 60 percent lower among women living in areas of the world with high Ultraviolet B radiation exposure than those who live in areas with less UVB, concludes a study encompassing 175 countries.“The main reason for this advantage is that women living in sunny areas have higher circulating (vitamin D2) levels that protect them from ovarian cancer,” said lead researcher Dr. Cedric Garland, a professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of California in San Diego.

Exposure to UVB from sunlight allows skin to photosynthesize Vitamin D, which enters the bloodstream and circulates throughout the body. For the study in the latest issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine,the researchers correlated 2002 data on UVB radiation, stratospheric ozone measurements and fertility rates of young women with incidence rates of ovarian cancer worldwide.

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