Worried about breast cancer?

[Don]

A timely article given the fact that breast cancer prevention is everywhere in the news. The "bottom line" is that "The highest quantile of circulating 25(OH)D was found to be associated with a 45% (OR = 0.55,95% CI = 0.38-0.80) decrease in breast cancer when compared with the lowestquantile." Just cutting the incidence (and mortality) of breast cancer in half is "reason enough" for women to (1) take a 1,000 to 2,000 vitamin D supplement each day; and, (2) patronize a professional indoor tanning salon once or twice each week.

1: Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2009 Oct 23. [Epub ahead of print]

Meta-analysis of vitamin D, calcium and the prevention of breast cancer.

Chen P, Hu P, Xie D, Qin Y, Wang F, Wang H.

Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolism, Institute for Nutritional Sciences,
Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Rm 427,
41# Building, 320 Yueyang Road, 200031, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

Vitamin D and calcium intake have been suggested to have protective effects
against breast cancer; however, the data have been inconclusive. The present
meta-analysis examined the overall effects of vitamin D intake, circulating
25(OH)D and 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D levels, and calcium intake on breast cancer risk.
Data from 11 studies on vitamin D intake, 7 studies on circulating 25(OH)D
levels, 3 studies of circulating 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D levels, and 15 studies on
calcium intake and breast cancer risk were included in this analysis. From the
meta-analysis, there was a significant inverse relationship between vitamin D
intake and breast cancer risk, with an overall relative risk (RR) of high versus
low vitamin D intake for breast cancer of 0.91 (95% CI = 0.85-0.97). The highest
quantile of circulating 25(OH)D was found to be associated with a 45% (OR = 0.55,
95% CI = 0.38-0.80) decrease in breast cancer when compared with the lowest
quantile. No significant association for the circulating 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D level
and breast cancer was found (OR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.68-1.44). For calcium, a 19%
(RR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.72-0.90) decrease in breast cancer risk was found for
those with highest quantile of calcium intake compared to the lowest quantile.
These results provide strong evidence that vitamin D and calcium have a
chemopreventive effect against breast cancer.