Women with higher vitamin D blood levels have lower risk for breast cancer
Results from a new study published today in PLOS ONE shows women who
have higher vitamin D blood levels have a significantly lower risk for
breast cancer.
Breast cancer and bowel cancer have both been linked with cases of vitamin D deficiency in recent studies. One of these analyzed data from two randomized clinical trials and a prospective cohort study.
The researchers found that high levels of vitamin D were inversely
associated with risk of breast cancer among women who were cancer-free
at baseline.
Studies suggest that vitamin D impacts breast cancer risk.
According to the study results, the higher the levels of vitamin D, the lower the risk of breast cancer.
This relationship remained significant even after the results were
adjusted for confounding factors, such as age, body mass index (BMI), intake of calcium supplements, and smoking habits.
Although a link between vitamin D deficiency and colorectal cancer
has previously been reported, not all studies have been able to
replicate these findings. A new, large-scale study attempted to settle this by drawing on data from three continents, including 5,700 colorectal cancer cases and 7,100 controls.
The researchers alculated that people whose levels
of vitamin D fall below those specified in the current guidelines have a
31 percent increased risk of developing bowel cancer. By contrast,
those with vitamin D levels above the current recommended levels were 22
percent less likely to develop this cancer.
These participants consisted of two groups of women: 209 diagosed
with breast cancer, plus 418 cancer-free women who acted as the control
group. All the participants had to have stopped menstruating for at
least 12 months.
Comparing the medical information collected
from the two groups of women, the researchers note that, at the time of
diagnosis, the women with breast cancer had higher rates of low or very
low serum (blood) vitamin D, compared with their cancer-free
counterparts.
"Vitamin D may play a role in controlling
breast cancer cells or stopping them from growing. Vitamin D comes from
direct sunlight exposure, vitamin D-3 supplements, or foods rich in
vitamin D."
In anticipation of a yearly visit with my GP next week, I had comprehensive blood work done this week. I just got the Vitamin D result - 35 ng/ml. It shows 30-80 as being "normal". Considering my history, is that high enough for me? Donna! Would you take supplements if this was your number? I don't know my GP well at all, I see specialists for the most everything, so I'd like to go in understanding what I can. All my other test results are dandy :) so nice to see strong numbers under WBC, RBC, platelets and liver function since they were all dreadful just 2 years ago when I finished chemo.
IDC, 2.2 cm, Stage IIb,lumpectomy 1/30/09 ACx4,Tx4 36 rads 6/1/16 Local recurrence same breast, same spot 1.8cm Carb.4x every 3 wks, Taxol 12x once wk. Dbl Mast. PCR!! Reconstruction fail, NED!
Hi Kelly, ME personally I like a cushion, I personally like to be at about 50. Since the range is so wide then why not is in my mind. My doctor was happy at 40, I told him I am pushing for 50 or 60... he smiled.
Personally, I would shoot for something above 50. My new primary likes the numbers to be at least 70. I know there is not a general consensus as to what is the ideal number or range and it's so wide. I take a multivitamin and 5,000 IUs of Vitamin D a day. This dose helps me get in the upper 50's to mid-60 range. Hope this information helps.
Cancer Network: What do we know about how much vitamin D we require for optimal health including reducing the risk of cancers?
Dr. Holick: That’s a very good question and
obviously, there continues to be a lot of debate about this question.
From my perspective, we should really ask the question ‘what were our
hunter, gatherer forefathers doing?’ They were always exposed to
sunlight. What were their likely levels? How much vitamin D would you
require to attain those levels?
One of the insights was done several years ago where a study was
performed in Maasai herders that live in Kenya at the equator. Even
though they have extremely dark skin, Mother Nature still has the
ability to make some vitamin D in their skin.
Their blood levels were measured and it was determined that their
25-hydroxy-vitamin D levels were around 40–50 nanograms per milliliter.
To get to that level, adults would need to take 3,000–5,000 units of
vitamin D per day.
The recommendation from the Endocrine Society practice guidelines is
at least 1,500–2,000 units per day and if you are obese, you need two to
three times more. I personally take 5,000 units of vitamin D every day
and my blood level is in the range of 60 nanograms per milliliter. All
of my patients are on between 3,000–5,000 units of vitamin D per day and
they are all doing very well.
Cancer Network: Let’s start with colon cancer. There
have been numerous epidemiological studies on the possible benefit of
vitamin D in preventing colon cancer. What do individual studies and
meta-analyses tell us about vitamin D and colon cancer risk?
Dr. Holick: There continues to be association data
saying that the higher your 25-hydroxy-vitamin D levels are, the lower
your risk for colorectal cancer.
The earliest study was done by the Garland brothers back in the 1990s
when they were relating latitude and colon cancer and then did a
prospective study on vitamin D status and the risk of colon cancer.
They concluded two things. The first is that the higher latitude that
you live, the higher your risk for colorectal cancer. They also
concluded that taking 1,000 units of vitamin D a day could potentially
reduce your risk of colon cancer by as much as 50%. Other studies have
suggested that improving your vitamin D status would have the benefit of
reducing colorectal cancer by about 25%–50%, depending on the study.
Cancer Network: Is there evidence from studies that vitamin D can mitigate the risk of other tumor types?
Dr. Holick: The one that is most significant
concerns breast cancer. There was a very nice study was done from the
Nurses’ Health Study that showed that nurses that had, on average, blood
levels of 48 nanograms per milliliter, so around 50 nanograms per
milliliter—that would require you to take about 3,000–5,000 units of
vitamin D per day—reduced their risk of developing breast cancer by
about 50%.
There was also a very nice study done by Dr. Knight in Canada. She
asked a question on the phone to women living in Canada who had breast
cancer and asked the same number of women living in the same area who
did not have breast cancer and concluded that women who had the most sun
exposure as teenagers and young adults reduced the risk of developing
breast cancer later in life by almost 70%. So, there is a reasonable
amount of evidence to suggest that improvement in vitamin D status can
help reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Cancer Network: Have there been randomized trials with vitamin D that focused on cancer prevention or slowing cancer progression?
Dr. Holick: There was a recent study that came out,
known as the VITAL study. The authors concluded that 5 years on 2,000
IU’s of vitamin D per day that did not reduce the risk for developing
colon cancer. But, they did find statistically significant 25% reduced
risk of dying from colon cancer if patients took vitamin D.
When you look at that study carefully, most of the subjects were not
vitamin D deficient. If they are vitamin D sufficient already, and
getting some additional vitamin D, it is not clear that you would be
able to see a significant benefit.
The senior author on the publication, Dr. JoAnn Manson, even made the
conclusion that it is also true that these types of cancers probably
take more than a few years to develop, so introducing vitamin D for 5
years may not be a long enough time to see benefits. That is all the
more reason why I encourage my family and my patients that you should
always be vigilant about your vitamin D status and take an adequate
amount of vitamin D from birth until death.
Cancer Network: Are there currently ongoing human studies to better understand the potential role of vitamin D in cancer prevention?
Dr. Holick: There continue to be small studies that
have concluded that there may or may not be any benefit. Again, you have
to look at how these trials are designed and what their outcome
measures are. I think it is still not clear that maintaining a blood
level that we would consider to be in a healthy range for
25-hydroxy-vitamin D of 40–60 nanograms per milliliter as recommended by
the Endocrine Society does have that additional health benefit of
reducing risk of many deadly cancers. From my perspective, based on all
of the information that I have reviewed, I think overall, the data is
suggestive that it does help reduce the risk of deadly cancers.
Little follow up: my insurance denied payment for the vitamin D test my doctor dealt with it, probably sent one of these articles Donna has posted. Just infuriating tho!! If my oncologist had ordered it they wouldn't have kicked it back i bet. They said they wouldn't pay for the breast MRI I had that found my tumor last time. When the biopsy came back positive they sent me a letter, "upon further review, we will cover your recent MRI". Health insurance should not be a for profit business! They make money by denying life saving tests and care. I suppose women that haven't had cancer are denied Vitamin tests - where finding deficiencies may prevent diseases like ours in some people? Evil.
Edited by Kellyless - Jan 27 2019 at 8:31am
IDC, 2.2 cm, Stage IIb,lumpectomy 1/30/09 ACx4,Tx4 36 rads 6/1/16 Local recurrence same breast, same spot 1.8cm Carb.4x every 3 wks, Taxol 12x once wk. Dbl Mast. PCR!! Reconstruction fail, NED!
Serum Vitamin D Status and Breast Cancer Risk by Receptor Status: A Systematic Review.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The association between vitamin D status and breast cancer risk is equivocal. No systematic reviews or meta-analyses have examined this association stratified by receptor status. Our objective is to conduct a systematic review to answer the question, "Is there a relationship between lower serum/plasma vitamin D levels and increased risk of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) specifically?"
METHODS:
We systematically searched Embase and PubMed databases for published original research studies examining the risk of a breast cancer diagnosis according to vitamin D status. We excluded studies that did not provide risk estimates stratified by receptor status.
RESULTS:
Fourteen studies met our criteria, including case-control, nested case-control, and case-series studies, reflecting the cumulative results of 13,135 breast cancer cases. When grouped by relevancy to TNBC, the proportion of analyses across all study types showing a significant association between vitamin D status and breast cancer diagnosis was 37% for non-TNBC analyses, 48% for analyses that included some TNBC cases, and 88% for TNBC analyses.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our results suggest that low vitamin D status may particularly increase the risk of TNBC, although more research is needed to determine if this association is causative. Women should be routinely screened for 25(OH)D deficiency.
Remember - you need the Vitamin D3 supplements. Sunshine helps but will not get you to the levels you need.
Vitamin D may prolong life in people with cancer
Taking vitamin D can prolong life in people who develop cancer, according to a recent analysis of clinical trials.
Researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing
analyzed data from randomized controlled trials that had compared people
who took vitamin D supplements with those who took a placebo for at least 3 years.
They only included trials that had examined the use of vitamin D supplements to prevent disease over a minimum follow-up of 4 years and had also recorded the incidence of cancer and cancer-related deaths.
In all, the analysis took in 10 trials with a total of 79,055
participants. Their average age was 68 years, and 78% of them were
female.
The team found a significant link between the use of vitamin D
supplements and a lower risk of death to cancer over the follow-up
period.
The analysis showed that people who took vitamin D
supplements had a 13% lower risk of dying from cancer than those who
took a placebo over the same period.
There was no significant association, however, between vitamin D use and prevention of cancer.
The findings featured at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, IL, on June 3, 2019.
"The difference in the mortality rate between the vitamin D and
placebo groups was statistically significant enough that it showed just
how important it might be among the cancer population," says Tarek
Haykal, a resident doctor in internal medicine at MSU and one of the
study's lead authors.
How vitamin D helps fight treatment-resistant cancer
The main cause of failure in chemotherapy treatments is that tumors
develop resistance to anticancer drugs. Now, a new study reveals how
vitamin D can help to overcome this problem.
Researchers from South Dakota State University, in Brookings, have
demonstrated that calcitriol and calcipotriol, two active forms of vitamin D, can block a mechanism that enables cancer cells to become drug-resistant.
The mechanism is a drug transporter protein called multidrug
resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1). The protein sits in the cell
wall and drives a pump that ejects cancer drugs out of the cell.
The researchers showed that calcitriol and calcipotriol can
selectively hone in on cancer cells that have too much MRP1 and destroy
them.
Surtaj Hussain Iram, Ph.D. — an assistant professor of chemistry and
biochemistry at South Dakota State University — is the senior study
author of a recent Drug Metabolism and Disposition paper about the findings.
He states that "Several epidemiologic and preclinical studies show the positive effect of vitamin
D in reducing cancer risk and progression, but we are the first to
discover its interaction with drug transporter protein and its ability
to selectively kill drug-resistant cancer cells."
Iram explains that calcitriol and calcipotriol cannot kill "naive
cancer cells," which have not yet developed chemoresistance. However,
once the cells become drug-resistant, they fall prey to calcitriol and
calcipotriol.
Vitamin D levels appear to play role in COVID-19 mortality rates
Patients with severe deficiency are twice as likely to experience major complications
Date:
May 7, 2020
Source:
Northwestern University
Summary:
Researchers analyzed patient data from 10 countries. The team found a correlation between low vitamin D levels and hyperactive immune systems. Vitamin D strengthens innate immunity and prevents overactive immune responses. The finding could explain several mysteries, including why children are unlikely to die from COVID-19.
Effect of Vitamin D3 Supplements on Development of Advanced Cancer: A Secondary Analysis of the VITAL Randomized Clinical Trial
Conclusions and relevance:
In this randomized clinical trial, supplementation with vitamin D
reduced the incidence of advanced (metastatic or fatal) cancer in the
overall cohort, with the strongest risk reduction seen in individuals
with normal weight.
The latest news on this comes from results of a study published in November 2020 showing a link between taking vitamin D supplements
and a 17 percent reduction in the risk of developing advanced cancer.
The reduction was even lower – 38 percent – among people who had a
normal body mass index (BMI).
Donna thanks for sharing! Wow, this is impressive. My BS had told me recently to ask the MO about testing my Vitamin D level , which is 35. MO didn't seemed concerned but now that I see the sufficient level is higher ,we will have to discuss again .Although I will be starting Xeloda in a couple weeks for the next 4 months, unsure if I can take together? Will check with MO.
Researchers conducted a study to see whether genetic predisposition to high vitamin D levels affects overall health.
They found that genetic predisposition to higher vitamin D levels reduces all-cause mortality by 30% in people with low vitamin D levels.
Genetic predisposition had no effect on mortality among those with higher levels of vitamin D.
The researchers conclude that genetic evidence suggests a causal relationship between vitamin D levels and mortality only in people with low vitamin D levels.
Scientists do not know how exactly vitamin D levels might influence multiple health conditions. Some have suggested it may protect againstcancerbyregulatingcadherins, which are proteins involved in cell-cell adhesion responsible for maintaining tissue architecture and regulation of cell growth and differentiation.
This has made researchers question whether vitamin D levels really play a part in reducing the risk of these diseases or whether healthier people have naturally higher levels of the vitamin for other reasons.
Researchers led by the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom conducted a study to see whether inherited genetic variants predisposing people to have higher vitamin D levels play a role in overall health.
“Our investigation provides intriguing new evidence that suggests raising vitamin D levels may reduce the risk of major disease and mortality, but only for people who have low vitamin D levels,” saysDr. Stephen Burgess, lead author of the study.
“Maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D is important, but there appears to be no benefit in supplementation beyond a threshold level,” he adds.
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