The researchers found that individuals living in countries farther away from the equator, such as the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland, were at least twice as likely to have leukaemia as people living in countries closes to the equator, such as Nigeria, Bolivia, Samoa and Madagascar.

Te study sum it up that vitamin D metabolites in the blood - known as 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or 25(OH) D, which is an indicator of the body's vitamin D levels - interact with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) cells and asserts that Vitamin D deficiency has got direct link to leukaemia.

The individuals who live farther away from the equator are exposed to solar energy that has travelled farther through the Earth's atmosphere, which reduces the amount of UVB radiation that reaches the skin.

Leukaemia is a cancer of the blood cells, most commonly affecting the white blood cells, or leukocytes, that help fight infection. It is a group of cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal white blood cells. These white blood cells are not fully developed and are called blasts or leukaemia cells. Symptoms may include bleeding and bruising problems, feeling tired, fever, and an increased risk of infections. These symptoms occur due to a lack of normal blood cells. Diagnosis is typically made by blood tests or bone marrow biopsy.