Breast cancer patients having adequate levels of vitamin- D have better long-term outcomes, a new study said. The new finding can offer women a simple new way to fight breast cancer.
“Combined with the results of prior research, the new findings suggest “an ongoing benefit for patients who maintain sufficient levels [of vitamin D] through and beyond breast cancer treatment,” study lead author Song Yao, a professor of oncology in the department of cancer prevention and control at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, N.Y., said.
The study also found that Black women had the lowest vitamin D levels, which might help explain their generally poorer outcomes after a breast cancer diagnosis. This may be an opportunity for an important intervention in breast cancer outcomes for all women, particularly in the Black population. Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, can be found in some foods and is made when sunlight strikes human skin.
The study involved nearly 4,000 patients who had their vitamin D levels checked and were followed for a median of almost 10 years. It found that — compared to women deficient in the nutrient — women with sufficient levels of vitamin D had 27% lower odds of dying of any cause during the 10 years of follow-up, and 22% lower odds for death from breast cancer specifically.
(Courtesy: Health Day Reporters)
