Intake of vitamin D and calcium may affect breast cancer

AORN Journal, July, 2007

Premenopausal women who consume higher levels of vitamin D and calcium may have reduced incidence of aggressive breast cancer, according to a June 5, 2007, article in the New York Times. Researchers studied the survey responses of 10,578 premenopausal and 20,909 postmenopausal women, focusing specifically on their dietary intake of vitamin D and calcium.

After an average of 10 years, 276 premenopausal and 743 postmenopausal women were found to have invasive breast cancer. Data also showed that the 20% of premenopausal women who consumed the highest revels of vitamin D and calcium (eg, more than 948 units of vitamin D and 1,366 mg of calcium daily) had a 33% reduced risk of developing breast cancer than the premenopausal women who consumed the least amount of these nutrients. This association was particularly evident for the most malignant and aggressive kinds of breast cancer tumors. The researchers suggested that women take at least the recommended daily amount of vitamin D (ie, 200 units to 600 units) and calcium (ie, 1,000 mg) to maintain overall health and possibly to help prevent breast cancer.

Bakalar N. Nutrition: vitamin D and calcium intake found to affect breast cancer. New York Times. June 5, 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/health/nutrition /05nutr.html. Accessed June 5, 2007.