TORONTO -- Women who are deficient in vitamin D when diagnosed with breast cancer may have a poorer prognosis compared to those with optimal amounts of the sunshine nutrient in their blood, a Canadian study suggests.
The study by Toronto researchers, released Thursday by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, found that women with low levels of vitamin D were at increased risk for having a more serious grade of breast tumour than those with sufficient vitamin D.
Furthermore, women with too little of the vitamin had a greater chance of recurrence and lower overall survival rates than those with healthier amounts, said principal investigator Dr. Pamela Goodwin, a clinician-scientist at Mount Sinai Hospital.
"We have to emphasize that we've shown an association between vitamin D level and breast cancer outcome," Goodwin said in a teleconference briefing Thursday. "That does not mean the association is causal." More research is needed to determine whether altering vitamin D levels would improve a woman's prognosis, she stressed.
"We realize that a lot of women with breast cancer will be wondering what they should do about their vitamin D supplements," Goodwin added in an interview.
"For now, we're recommending that they consider taking a supplement that is in the range recommended for bone health, and for many women that's 600, 800 international units a day," she said.
-- The Canadian Press
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