Posted on 05/17/2008 10:03:19 AM PDT by neverdem
AP Medical Writer
Breast cancer patients with low levels of vitamin D were much more likely to die of the disease or have it spread than patients getting enough of the nutrient, a study found - adding to evidence the "sunshine vitamin" has anti-cancer benefits. The results are sure to renew arguments about whether a little more sunshine is a good thing.
The skin makes vitamin D from ultraviolet light. Too much sunlight can raise the risk of skin cancer, but small amounts - 15 minutes or so a few times a week without sunscreen - may be beneficial, many doctors believe.
While the vitamin is found in certain foods and supplements, most don't contain the best form, D-3, and have only a modest effect on blood levels of the nutrient. That's what matters, the Canadian study found.
Only 24 percent of women in the study had sufficient blood levels of D at the time they were first diagnosed with breast cancer. Those who were deficient were nearly twice as likely to have their cancer recur or spread over the next 10 years, and 73 percent more likely to die of the disease.
"These are pretty big differences," said study leader Dr. Pamela Goodwin of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. "It's the first time that vitamin D has been linked to breast cancer progression."
But people shouldn't start downing supplements, she warned. Experts don't agree on how much vitamin D people need or the best way to get it, and too much can be harmful. They also don't know whether getting more vitamin D can help when someone already has cancer.
"We have no idea whether correcting a vitamin D deficiency will in any way alter these outcomes," said Dr. Julie Gralow, a cancer specialist at the University of Washington in Seattle.
The study was released Thursday by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and will be presented at the group's annual meeting later this month.
Lots of earlier research suggests vitamin D may help prevent prostate, breast and especially colon cancer. In lab and animal tests, vitamin D stifles abnormal cell growth, curbs formation of blood vessels that feed tumors and has many other anti-cancer effects.
Other evidence: People who live in northern regions of the world have higher cancer rates than those living closer to the equator, possibly because of less sunshine and vitamin D.
The Canadian researchers wanted to see whether it made a difference in survival. They took blood from 512 women at three University of Toronto hospitals between 1989 and 1995, when the women were first diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.
A decade later, 83 percent of those who had had adequate vitamin D blood levels were alive without extensive spread of their cancer, versus 79 percent of those whose vitamin D levels were insufficient and 69 percent of those who were deficient, as defined by widely used medical standards for measuring intake.
One red flag: The few women with the very highest levels of vitamin D seemed to have worse survival.
Though the study was too small and those results were not conclusive, "there may be an optimal level of vitamin D in women with breast cancer and it may be possible to take too much," Goodwin said.
The federal government says up to 2,000 international units of vitamin D a day seems OK. Taking 800 units per day will, on average, raise blood levels to the middle of the range that seems best for bone and general health, Goodwin said.
Vitamin D is in salmon and other oily fish, and milk is routinely fortified with it, but dietary sources account for little of the amount of D circulating in the blood, experts say.
"It's very hard to make a recommendation" because how much difference a supplement makes depends on someone's baseline level, which also can be affected by sunlight, skin type and time of year, she explained.
Doctors do suggest breast cancer patients get their vitamin D levels checked to see whether they are deficient. The simple blood test is available in many hospitals and labs for about $25, Goodwin said.
Dr. Nancy Davidson, a Johns Hopkins University cancer specialist who is president of the oncology society, said those tests are growing in popularity, even in ordinary medical care.
"Rightly or wrongly, I'm increasingly seeing physicians who are measuring this," she said.
The Canadian study was paid for by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in New York, established by cosmetics magnate Evelyn Lauder.
"It's a very provocative paper. It's confirmatory of a tremendous amount of evidence that vitamin D is an important component of health," said Dr. Larry Norton, chief of breast cancer programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and a medical adviser to the foundation.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. About 184,450 cases and 40,930 deaths from the disease are expected in the United States this year.
That helps to partly explain, in addition to genetics such as what hormone and growth factor receptors they express, the poorer prognosis of breast cancer in black women.
breast cancer or skin cancer...
hmm...
I notice that when I take Vitamin D my mood is elevated. It is probably why light therapy seems to help with depression.
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I’ve always thought that the mania for never going out in the sun without sunscreen was not healthy. Mothers used to say, “Go out and play in the fresh air and sunshine.”
Can’t wait until they put the same effort into prostrate cancer.
If you could just get women to grow a prostate gland ,then you would see action.
Good article on Vitamin D and depression.
Should take it with calcium though.
I think Caltrate has both.
I take tums for calcium and a vitamin D supplement.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505162841.htm
Geez lady, if you can't make a recommendation, what is the consumer concerned about breast cancer supposed to do?
If scientists are going to put out this information (which I agree is a good idea), it sure would be nice if they would give some guidance instead of leaving people who have little scientific knowledge to make the call on their own.
Get your Vitamin D levels tested......The correct test is 25(OH)D, also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D
If you live North of Arizona...or don’t get outside much....you can probably take up to 5000iu of Vitamin D3...(Make sure it is D3). People can safely take more...but, I’m NOT a doctor....I take about 3500iu a day, and I’m still low....around 35....should be around 50-60 on the test.....but, I live in Washington, the State....
How about stopping the promotion of BIRTH CONTROL PILLS????
Just which decade did we start to see the rise in Breast Cancer in women of all ages?
"The federal government says up to 2,000 international units of vitamin D a day seems OK. Taking 800 units per day will, on average, raise blood levels to the middle of the range that seems best for bone and general health, Goodwin said."
My sister was diagnosed with colon CA. She couldn't take chemo. She's taking 1000 IU of D3 daily. I told her to get the sunshine instead when it's warm enough.
I once worked for a medical company that made mammography equipment. Some of the female developers would say: “If men had to get their prostates examined this way they would figure out a way to make it more comfortable.”
Vitamin D bump
I have found the same thing. I read an article associating Vit D deficiency to mood about six months ago and started taking between 1,000 and 2,000 IUs a day. I see a significant change in mood and other general health factors.
Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Vitamin D ... milk ... breasts ... D’oh! Why didn’t someone think of this sooner?
I’ve read about this & take it now, thanks to you! Hugs Pandy
Probably vitamin triple-D would work even better.
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