Vitamin D deficiency may give rise to breast cancer, study finds

Characterized as the “sunshine vitamin” because of its exceptional quality of being produced by the body by just basking in the warm sun, a regular dosage of Vitamin D may also help fight breast cancer, a new Canadian study found.

In the new study, conducted by the researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Vitamin D appeared to play a significant role in the progression of breast cancer.

The study, which was released Thursday in advance of the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology that begins later this month, followed 512 women diagnosed with breast cancer at the University of Toronto hospitals between 1989 and 1995.

Of the total participants, just 24 percent had adequate levels of vitamin D in their blood when diagnosed. After following the participants for ten years, the Canadian researchers found that women with breast cancer who had inadequate levels of vitamin D at the time of the diagnosis were 94% more likely to have their cancer metastasize and 73% were more as likely to die as those with sufficient levels.

Researchers found that 83 percent of women with adequate levels of vitamin D were alive and they even did not have their cancer spread, compared to 79 percent of those whose vitamin D levels were insufficient and 69 percent of those who were deficient.

According to Dr. Pamela Goodwin of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, who led the study, their study is the first that links vitamin D to the progression of breast cancer, the most common cancer in women.

"These are pretty big differences," said Goodwin. "It's the first time that vitamin D has been linked to breast cancer progression."

Technically a hormone, Vitamin D is produced within the body when the skin is exposed to the ultraviolet B (UVB) rays in the sunlight. The basic function of vitamin D is to regulate the levels of calcium and phosphorous in the blood, thus helping to build strong bones and healthy teeth. It’s also believed to strengthen the immune system and possibly prevent some forms of cancer, including prostate, breast and especially colon cancer. Some previous tests in lab and animal have proved that vitamin D cut off abnormal cell growth and restrains formation of blood vessels that feed tumors.

Although, the findings are of much significance, but experts cautioned that it was too soon to recommend vitamin D supplements as a general treatment for breast cancer.

"We have no idea whether correcting a vitamin D deficiency will in any way alter these outcomes," said Dr. Julie Gralow, a cancer specialist at the University of Washington in Seattle, who was not involved in the study.

Breast cancer affects women of all ages equally although the risk increases with aging. Heart disease is dangerous mostly after the age of 65 but breast cancer can affect a woman at an age as early as 20. Thus, women need to be vigilant all their lives in order to prevent it from getting lethal.

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer in women. According to the American Cancer Society, about 184,450 cases and 40,930 breast cancer deaths are expected in the United States this year.