Friday Nov 15, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- Taking vitamin D supplements may help prevent breast cancer, according to a study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

F. M. Yousef from Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ, USA and colleagues conducted the study and found Saudi Arabian women who had serum vitamin D greater than 10 ng/mL, but lower than 20 ng/mL were 4 times as likely as those who had their serum vitamin D greater than 20 ng/mL to be diagnosed with breast cancer.

The researchers also found those who had the lowest levels of vitamin D in their blood, that is, lower than 10 ng/mL, were six times as likely as those who had 20ng/mL or higher serum vitamin D concentrations to develop breast cancer.

Enrolled in the study were 120 women with diagnosed breast cancer and 120 controls who were admitted to King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from Jane 2009 through Aug 2009.  Dietary and medical information and blood samples were studied to establish the association between circulating 25(OH)D concentration and risk of breast cancer.

Participants had a mean age of 47.8 years and a mean body mass index of 30.0 kg/m2.   Breast cancer cases had significantly lower plasma levels of vitamin D than the healthy controls.  And those with low vitamin D in their blood were more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer.

The authors concluded "An inverse association exists between serum 25(OH)D concentrations and breast cancer risk in Saudi Arabian women."

The study was not a trial and did not establish a causal relationship.  Regardless, one should maintain an adequate intake of vitamin D in their blood because vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency has been associated with more than 100 medical conditions or chronic disease including heart disease, diabetes mellitus, depression, cancer, and osteoporosis.

Vitamin D Council suggests that adults may need to have intake of 4000 to 5000 IU per day.  

Breast cancer is largely preventable.  Each year in the United States, as many as 230,000 women are diagnosed with the disease and the disease and its complications kill about 37,000 women annually in the country.  One in eight American women are expected to develop breast cancer in their life time.

Another recent study released in British Journal of Cancer found evidence suggesting that taking vitamin C supplements prior to diagnosis can help breast cancer patients to have a better prognosis or literally a better survival chance.  Those who had high intake of vitamin C were 25% less likely to die from breast cancer and about 20% less likely to die from all causes.

Previous studies also suggest what may help prevent or fight breast cancer include berberine, flaxseed, antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E and lipoic acid, grape seed extract, resveratrol, dietary fiber, fish oil, green tea, soy food, vitamin k3, multivitamins and calcium supplements, curcumin, isoflavone supplements, and bitter melon.  Most of these beneficial nutraceuticals are available as dietary supplements. (David Liu, PHD)