MSNBC.com reports that a study from the University of California-San Diego showed that vitamin D reduced the risk of several types of cancer by in older women by 60%.  The study had a small number of cancer cases, but it will help launch more extensive studies that backup why cancer rates are lower in southern latitudes where people get more sunlight (our skin produces vitamin D when exposed to sunlight).

The exact amount of vitmain D that people should intake is still unknown.  However, Dr. Michael Holick, of Boston University Medical Center said that “1,000 daily units of vitamin D3 would now be reasonable for most people.”