Friday, September 26, 2008

Vitamin D again linked to breast cancer protection

Increased intake of vitamin D from the diet and from sunlight may reduce the risk fo breast cancer by over 20 per cent. The potential protective effects of the vitamin were not limited by the hormone receptor status of the tumors, according to research published online in the American Journal of Epidemiology. “This study suggests that vitamin D is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer regardless of estrogen-receptor (ER) positive and progesterone-receptor (PR)] status of the tumor,” wrote lead author Kristina Blackmore from Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

Canadian researchers analyzed the vitamin D intakes of 759 women with breast cancer, and compared this to the vitamin D intakes of 1,135 healthy controls. Increased intakes of the vitamin were associated with a 24 per cent reduction in the risk of developing ER+ and PR+ tumors.

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