Breast Cancer & Preventative Steps
Breastcancer.org states on its website: “Research suggests that women with low levels of vitamin D have a higher risk of breast cancer. Vitamin D may play a role in controlling normal breast cell growth and may be able to stop breast cancer cells from growing.”
I only wrote about Vitamin D a few weeks ago. But, because breast cancer affects approximately one in eight women, I wanted to write some more.
I recently read an article where breast cancer was referred to as a “Vitamin D deficiency syndrome.”
An open letter to the New York Times from Cedric F. Garland, Dr. P.H., F.A.C.E. (Professor, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California San Diego, Participating Member, Moores UCSD Cancer Center, La Jolla, California) stated:
“It is not widely realized that most breast cancer is preventable. While the scientific literature reveals many strategies for prevention of breast cancer, the simplest is elimination of the vitamin D deficiency. This is the main known cause of breast cancer. Raising the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level to 40-60 ng/ml could prevent 75-80% of breast cancer incidence (and deaths, of course).”
I recommend getting your Vitamin D levels checked annually and making sure they are in a good healthy range. Keeping your blood serum levels in a good range is a great way to help protect your health into the future, and is such a simple thing to do. Contact me to find out how to take Vitamin D so that it is in balance with other key nutrients.
WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY?
Visit grassrootshealth.net/project/breast-cancer-prevention to see research and statistics in an easy-to-read format. Below are a couple of examples:
- “Vitamin D increases breast cancer patient survival: Those with breast cancer who have high levels of vitamin D in their blood are two times as likely to survive the disease as women with low levels, according to a report from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers in the March issue of Anticancer Research.”
- “77% reduction in all non-skin cancer incidence: A 2007 randomized clinical trial at Creighton University led by Joan Lappe, PhD, RN, FAAN, found that a dose of 1100 IU/day of vitamin D along with 1400-1500 mg/day of calcium helped women aged 55 and older raise their average serum vitamin D level to 38 ng/ml (from a baseline of 29 ng/ml) and prevent approximately 4 out of 5, or 80%, of all invasive cancers, including breast cancer.”
Getting statistics like this can make us all feel a bit more comfortable that there are things we can do to help us control our health. You are always welcome to write to me with any questions or for any assistance you may need.
