Another study has been published that suggests a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D can reduce the risk of women developing breast cancer prior to menopause. Great news!
The study, published in today’s edition of the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that the risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer was 35 to 40 percent lower in women with the highest intake of calcium and vitamin D compared to women with diets poor in these nutrients. Just as important, the impact was greatest on staving off the most aggressive breast cancer tumours.
Jennifer Lin, a researcher in the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and lead author of the research, said the findings lend some credence to cancer prevention studies done in the test tube and in mice. The laboratory research has shown that calcium and vitamin D can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells, particularly those that express high levels of insulin-like growth factors.
The new study involved 10,578 pre-menopausal and 20,909 post-menopausal women over the age of 45. They were followed for at least a decade, and during that time 276 pre-menopausal and 743 post-menopausal women were diagnosed with breast cancer. The women in the study consumed an average of 353 IU of vitamin D and 1,021 mg of calcium daily. Researchers divided them into five groups based on intake and found that those with diets rich in these nutrients were less likely to develop breast cancer.