A research article published in June 2018 in PLOS (Public Library of Science) ONE investigated the relationship between Vitamin D concentration and breast cancer risk in 5,038 women 55 years old and older. More than 252,000 new cases of female breasts cancer and 40,600 deaths were projected to occur in 2017 in the United States. Early detection and improvements in treatment have reduced the mortality rate, but there has been no reduction in the incidence of breast cancer in the past 20 years.
Numerous studies have found an association between higher serum vitamin D concentrations and lower breast cancer risk. The current vitamin D recommendation of 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L) is based solely on bone health, yet is widely used as the target level for all health conditions. This study found there was an 80% lower incidence rate of breast cancer for women with vitamin D concentrations over 60 ng/ml versus under 20 ng/ml. In the entire patient population of 5,083 women in the study, there was only one case of breast cancer diagnosed after one year among those with vitamin D concentrations over 60 ng/ml.
The study concluded that vitamin D status is a modifiable risk factor for breast cancer, and increasing vitamin D concentrations via supplementation at the population level is safe and affordable. An optimal anti-cancer level of vitamin D may be between 60-80 ng/ml.
If you have any questions about your vitamin D level, or don't know what your vitamin D level is, please do not hesitate to contact us for help.
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/comments?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0199265
