Around 1 million deaths a year are caused from lung cancer, which makes this one of the three most common cancers.
While smoking and other exposures to chemicals is the number one cause of lung cancer, there is also a correlation with significant lower UVB exposure. According to the researchers from the University of California at San Diego, there is a connection between higher rates of lung cancer and less exposure to the sun.
This is not the first time researchers have connected the two. In 2001, the British Journal of Cancer stated that cooked and raw fish lowered the risk of lung adenocarcinoma. Most recently a study has been conducted on Norwegian men and women who have eaten cod liver oil, this was found to protect against lung cancer. Both fish and cod liver oil are rich in vitamin D.
The average adult needs a significant amount of vitamin D that supplements and sun exposure cannot supply alone. In order to take advantage of cancer protection benefits from vitamin D, the Anticancer Research Journal suggest higher levels of as much as 4,000-8,000 IU. This means supplementing, getting sun exposure and eating foods rich in vitamin D are a must.