By Chioma Umeha
According to researchers, the link between vitamin
D and breast cancer may be related to the vitamin role in promoting normal
mammary-cell development, and inhibiting the reproduction of and promoting the
death of cancer cells.
Apart from maintaining healthy bones, higher
levels of vitamin D in the blood may also significantly improve survival in
one-third of women diagnosed with breast cancer the most common form of cancer
in women, a study has found.
A deficiency in the vitamin D levels commonly
found in sun exposure, fatty fish oils, vitamin supplements, and fortified
milks and cereals has been associated with the risk for several cancers, an online
news agency reported weekend.
“We found that women with the highest levels of
vitamin D levels had about a 30 per cent better likelihood of survival than
women with the lowest levels,” said Lawrence H. Kushi, Research Scientist with
the Kaiser Permanente a not for profit health care company in California, US.
This study adds to the evidence that vitamin D may
play a key role in cancer prevention and prognosis and is also an important
nutrient, Kushi added. According to researchers, the link between vitamin D and
breast cancer may be related to the vitamin role in promoting normal
mammary-cell development, and inhibiting the reproduction of and promoting the
death of cancer cells.
In the study, the team included 1,666 participants
who had a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer in 2006 to examine whether levels
of a blood biomarker of Vitamin D – 25-hydroxyvitamin D (250HD) – at the time
of breast cancer diagnosis were associated with survival. Higher 250HD blood
levels were associated with better overall survival.
In premenopausal women, the association of higher
blood levels of 250HD and overall survival was stronger. The study was
published online in the journal JAMA Oncology.
