A new Columbia University study shows a vitamin D breast cancer link; as many as three-fourths of premenopausal women with early stage breast cancer have vitamin D
The 103 women on whom the study focused were all receiving chemotherapy. Of these, a total of 74% were vitamin D deficient at baseline, with 80% of African-Americans and 84% of Hispanics deficient at baseline.
All of the women were given daily supplementation of 400 IU of vitamin D
The study, reported in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, is the latest in a growing field of research to identify a vitamin d breast cancer connection.
Research done in 2008 by the University of Toronto indicates that vitamin D
In a small 2007 study by Creighton University in Omaha showed that supplemental vitamin D appeared to significantly lower the risk of cancer. The study followed 1,179 healthy women with an average age of 67, who were divided into three groups. One group was given supplements of calcium along with 1000 IU of vitamin D, while another group received calcium alone and the third group received placebos.
Though the study was primarily focused on the effect on bone health, a significantly lower risk of cancer stood out in the findings. Over the four years of the study, the cancer risk for those taking both calcium and vitamin D
The current recommended daily dose of D vitamin is 400 IU per day for adults, an amount that some researchers suggest is far too low.
