Vitamin D May Help Prevent Uterine Fibroids

Women with adequate levels of vitamin D are less likely to develop uterine fibroids than those with insufficient levels, a new study finds. Uterine fibroids are noncancerous tumors of the uterus that often cause pain and bleeding in premenopausal women and are the leading cause of hysterectomy in the United States. The study, by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), included more than 1,000 women, aged 35 to 49, living in the Washington, D.C., area from 1996 to 1999. Blood samples taken from the women were analyzed for vitamin D levels. Those with sufficient amounts of vitamin D were 32 percent less likely to develop uterine fibroids than those with insufficient vitamin D levels. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_136004.html