Vitamin D from sunshine increases the survival rates of cancer sufferers, new research suggests.

The vitamin is particularly beneficial for people with breast cancer, bowel cancer and lymphoma.

The nutrient is made by the body under the skin in reaction to summer sunlight and found in oily fish, such as salmon, sardines and mackerel, eggs and fortified fat spreads, breakfast cereals and powdered milk.

It helps the body absorb the calcium and phosphorus needed for healthy bones and affects a variety of biological processes by binding to a protein called a vitamin D receptor.

This receptor is present in nearly every cell in the body.

A new study found cancer patients who have higher levels of vitamin D when they are diagnosed tend to have better survival rates and remain in remission longer than patients who are vitamin D deficient.

Scientists reviewed all previous research to acknowledge the health benefits of the vitamin.

Professor Hui Wang, of the Institute for Nutritional Sciences at the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, said: ‘By reviewing studies that collectively examined vitamin D levels in 17,332 cancer patients, our analysis demonstrated that vitamin D levels are linked to better outcomes in several types of cancer.

'The results suggest vitamin D may influence the prognosis for people with breast cancer, colorectal cancer and lymphoma, in particular.’

The study, published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, looked at 25 separate studies that measured vitamin D levels in cancer patients at the time of diagnosis and tracked survival rates.

In most of the research, patients had their vitamin D levels tested before they underwent any treatment for cancer.

The study found a 10nmol/L increase in vitamin D levels was linked to a four per cent increase in survival among people with cancer.

However, the study found the effect was less for those suffering from lung cancer, gastric cancer, prostate cancer, leukaemia, and melanoma.

Professor Wang said: ‘Considering that vitamin D deficiency is a widespread issue all over the world, it is important to ensure that everyone has sufficient levels of this important nutrient.

'Physicians need to pay close attention to vitamin D levels in people who have been diagnosed with cancer.’ (DailyMail Online)