Tuesday Sept 10, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- H. R. Harris and colleagues have recently reported in British Journal of Cancer that high vitamin C intake prior to diagnosis of breast cancer may help survival.

The study based on data from a cohort of Swedish women shows that those in highest intake of vitamin C prior to diagnosis of breast cancer were 25% less likely to die from the disease compared with those in the lowest intake.

The researchers said vitamin C, which is also known as ascorbic acid may affect cancer progression through its antioxidant properties. 

For the study, researchers restimated dietray intake of vitamin C using a food-frequency questionnaire and then investigated whether vitamin C intake was correlated with survival among 3,405 women who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the Swedish Mammography Cohort.

The researchers found women in the highest quartile of pre-diagnosis vitamin C intake were 25% less likely to die from breast cancer than those in the lowest quartile. 

They also found a borderline significant association between vitamin C intake and total breast cancer death rate.  (JD)