Vitamin D and Breast Cancer

A recent study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported some unfavorable results from research done on the effect of vitamin D on breast cancer. The supplement was not found to be beneficial to the half of the women involved in the study that were given 400 IU of vitamin D and 1,000 mg of calcium. The vitamin D and calcium segment of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study included 2,134 women, half of which were given vitamin D and calcium for 7 years, while the other half were given nothing. Of the women that took the supplements for the seven year period, 528 developed breast cancer. In the group that did not take either vitamin D or calcium, 546 women developed breast cancer during the time frame. The similarity between these two rates gave way to the disappointing outcome that vitamin D does not help prevent breast cancer.

Experts have questioned whether or not the dose of vitamin D used in the WHI study was high enough to yield accurate results, being that doctors now recommended up to 2,000 IU daily for adults. The 400 IU used in the study is too low to raise blood levels, which does not allow for there to be much of an impact as a result of taking the supplement. One small problem the study encountered involved the inability to tell half of these women to stop taking their regular doses of calcium and vitamin D to prevent bone fracture. About 15 percent of the women included in the half that were to be taking no calcium or vitamin D continued with their usual supplement dosages, possibly causing inaccuracies in the results. Experts also believe that the study may have been too short to determine the real advantages of vitamin D. Since it takes a long period of time for breast cancer to develop, the women in the study that developed breast cancer may have already started to develop the cancer before the 7 year study began (breast cancer may take up to 20 years to develop). If cancer of the breast had already started to develop before the study even began, the vitamin D and calcium supplements would have had little effect on the cancer.

More research is in the works studying the effects of vitamin D and calcium on breast cancer. One earlier study and other animal-related studies did suggest that vitamin D helped prevent breast cancer, giving experts more of a reason to continue their research on the supplements and their effect on breast cancer.

The Women’s Health Initiative took place over several years and involved 36,000 women and studied various health issues, including cancer, fracture risk, heart disease, hormone therapy and other complications.

Breast cancer treatment is most effective when the cancer is caught early on. If you or someone you love has been harmed by a delay in diagnosing or treating breast cancer, our medical negligence attorneys can help. Your initial consultation is FREE and there is NO FEE to you unless we recover money. Please call Silberstein, Awad & Miklos today, or submit an instant inquiry now and we will respond within 24 hours.

Joseph Miklos
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