> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Vitamins, calcium supplements may reduce breast cancer risk
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/calcium_supplements_breast_cancer_1804100545/
- Published: 2010-04-18T23:12:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:02:59.000Z
- Description: In a study of 268 breast cancer cases and 457 controls presented at an AACR meeting, women taking multivitamins were 30 percent less likely and calcium users 40 percent less likely to have breast cancer, though calcium's apparent benefit vanished once DNA repair capacity was counted.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Nutrition, Breast Cancer, Vitamins, #vivvo-import

Taking multivitamins and calcium supplements may help reduce breast cancer risk, according to a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010.

The study of 268 breast cancer cases and 457 healthy controls found women who took vitamins were 30 percent less likely to acquire breast cancer while those who took calcium supplements were 40 percent less likely to be diagnosed with the disease.

Researchers found women were more likely to have breast cancer if they were older, had lower DNA repair capacity, had a family history of breast cancer, and had no history of breastfeeding.

When the level of DNA repair capacity was considered in the analysis, the apparent protective effect of calcium disappeared while the association between vitamins and reduced risk of breast cancer remained.

Jaime Matta, Ph.D., professor in the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico, author of the study, said that the findings suggest that calcium may exert an effect through the interaction with DNA repair.

A health observer suggested that this case and control study like epidemiological studies carried some bias as it was not a random trial. Those who took vitamins may follow a healthier lifestyle in the first place, which instead of vitamins and calcium may protect against breast cancer. 

Nevertheless, the possible protective effect of vitamins and calcium cannot be ruled out in the study either. According to one theory, antioxidant vitamins protect against breast cancer by neutralizing free radicals which can cause DNA mutations leading to carcinogenesis.

Previous studies are inconsistent when it comes to how vitamins could affect the risk of breast cancer. Some studies on individual nutrient/vitamin suggest certain vitamins may help reduce the risk. Vitamin D and C to say the least have been found associated with reduced risk of breast cancer.

By David Liu