Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Vitamin D Deficiency and Breast Cancer

We've heard a lot from medical researchers and from the media about the importance of Vitamin D. New research is revealing how important it is for breast cancer. A new study from the University of South Carolina found that women with aggressive and late stage breast cancer were more likely to have a vitamin D deficiency than women with less severe types of breast cancer. The researchers looked at vitamin D levels in 107 women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer in the last five years. Of this group, 60 women were African-American and 47 were Caucasian. The blood tests showed that African-American women had Vitamin D levels about one third lower than the white women. A probable reason for the lower levels may be that darker skin, which is higher in melanin, resists sun light instead of absorbing it, which will decrease production of Vitamin D.  The study's results have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. However, given what we know about melanin and vitamin D production, I think Vitamin D supplementation for all women, and especially African-American women, is very important for promoting overall health.

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