Vitamin D Helps to Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer
French researchers investigated the association between serum 25(OH) vitamin D (measurement of vitamin D status in the blood) and the risk of breast cancer through a nested case-control study. The researchers followed 1272 women without breast cancer for up to ten years who matched the characteristics of women with an incidence of breast cancer. The researchers also had access to the women’s blood samples and reports of dietary intake.
It was found that there was an inverse association between serum 25(OH) vitamin D and the risk of breast cancer. In other words, the higher the level of serum 25(OH) vitamin D, the lower the risk of breast cancer. This was especially true for younger women (less than 53 years of age), who had a statistically significant decrease in the risk of breast cancer. The researchers suggested that the differences among age groups could be due to hormones or menopausal status; further research is needed to explore this area.
