Women working outdoors ‘are less likely to get breast cancer’

WOMEN who spend most of their day outside appear to have a lower chance of getting breast cancer when they’re over 50 – and vitamin D may be key.

Scientists compared those whose working lives were outdoors – like gardeners – with women who had indoor occupations.

And those who had been grafting out in the open for at least 20 years were 17 per cent less likely to suffer breast cancer. Those who had clocked up the most hours in total – possibly across less than 20 years – had an 11 per cent better chance.

Walking the dog, exercising in the elements and gardening have all previously been found to deliver a good dose of vitamin D that can help to ward off infection and cancer. But the powerful health benefits of sunlight have been shunned in recent years due to concerns about skin cancer.

Researchers believe the rising incidence of breast cancer in the last half of the 20th century may be due to vitamin D deficiency.

The researchers compared 38,375 women aged under 70 who had primary breast cancer with nearly 200,000 born the same year at a ratio of 1:5. Their backgrounds – including jobs – were factored in and the results were striking.

Julie Elbaek Pedersen, who led the Danish Cancer Society Research Center study, called for further studies. She said: “This indicates an inverse association between long-term occupational [sunlight] exposure and late-onset breast cancer.” The paper was published by the BMJ.