vitamin D.

The recent article on sun-protective clothing ("Good day (harmful) sunshine," Health, July 9) neglected to mention the costs associated with completely blocking the sun's rays. Any type of cancer is harmful, but some are worse than others. Skin cancers are generally easier to detect and treat than other types of cancer. Skin cancers kill 1,500 people in the United States every year. Other, more serious cancers - such as prostate and breast cancer, which are much harder to detect and treat - kill 1,500 people a day.

Recent research indicates high levels of vitamin D in the blood can significantly reduce the risk of developing several types of cancer, including prostate, colon and breast cancers. Researchers at Creighton University, who published their results last month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found in their study of nearly 1,200 women that the the risk for developing breast and other serious cancers is cut by 60 percent by maintaining high levels of vitamin D in the blood.

The best way to boost blood levels of vitamin D is to expose skin to about 15 minutes of strong sunlight each day. Supplements are the second best option, but pale in comparison to the body's natural production of the vitamin that occurs when skin is exposed to sunshine. Food additives, like fortified milk, provide insufficient amounts of vitamin D to fight cancer. One researcher noted you would need to drink 40 glasses of milk every day to get the cancer-fighting benefits of vitamin D.
All of us face trade-offs in our day-to-day lives. Overzealous efforts to prevent skin cancer may lead to more fatal cancers down the road. The truth is, you can have too much protection.