Wednesday Aug 6, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- Taking vitamin D supplements or getting sufficient sun exposure may help reduce the risk of developing breast cancer and dying from breast cancer and all causes, a study in British Journal of Cancer suggests.

Y. Kim and Y Je at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea conducted the study to examine the potential anti-carcinogenic properties of vitamin D against breast cancer and found those in the highest intake of vitamin D was associated with 5% reduced risk of develop breast cancer.   And serum 25(OH)D levels were linked to 8% reduction in the risk.

The meta-analysis was based on data from 30 prospective studies (nested case-control or cohort studies) sorted out from MEDLINE and EMBASE databases.

The authors also found breast cancer patients with high levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D or 25(OH)D were 42% more less likely than those with low levels of this "vitamin" to die from breast cancer and 39% less likely to die from all causes.

The study concluded "Our findings suggest that high vitamin D status is weakly associated with low breast cancer risk but strongly associated with better breast cancer survival."

Vitamin D supplements are readily available on the Internet and at local health stores.  Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to more than 100 health conditions including depression, diabetes mellitus, cancer, and heart disease among others.  (David Liu)

Kim Y, Je Y.  Vitamin D intake, blood 25(OH)D levels, and breast cancer risk or mortality: a meta-analysis.  Br J Cancer. 2014 May 27;110(11):2772-84.