Women with the highest vitamin D blood levels are up to 84 percent less likely to contract lung cancer — the deadliest of all cancers, according to new research published in the November issue of the medical journal “Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.”

Authors are cautious about the outcome, but the strong association — on top of the dozens of other cancers that are now connected with vitamin D deficiency — has turned many heads.

The prospective study — performed by the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki, Finland — looked at vitamin D blood levels in nearly 7,000 men and women. The 24-year follow up identified 122 lung cancer cases.

“The science is getting stronger and stronger — it cannot be ignored,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “The people with highest vitamin D levels are those who get regular sun exposure. The anti-sun lobby needs to acknowledge this in a substantial way or their case will become more and more transparent as being fraudulent.”

The news site www.FoodConsumer.org said this about vitamin D: “We have already known that physical activity, diet high in fruits and vegetables, high in nutrients like vitamin C, E, or selenium may reduce the risk of lung cancer. High exposure to sunlight and or taking vitamin D supplements, getting enough sleep, avoiding stress and fatigue and environmental pollutants may also help.”

The news about “The Sunshine Vitamin” keeps getting better and better. To read FoodConsumer.org’s coverage of the study click here.