Vitamin D deficiency accelerates breast cancer

Lack of vitamin D and little exposure to sunlight will cause breast cancer cells to grow faster and spread more widely.

Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine have noted a striking direct link between circulating vitamin D levels and the expression of a gene called ID1, which is involved in tumor growth and breast cancer metastasis.

This finding contributes to previous studies showing that vitamin D deficiency not only increases the risk of developing breast cancer, but can also make tumors worse, with a worse prognosis.

In the study, mice were fed a vitamin D-deficient diet for 10 weeks. The vitamin D-deficient mice developed tumors earlier and had larger tumors after six weeks significantly faster.

The study was conducted in mice, but the scientists also looked at 34 other breast cancer patients for levels of circulating vitamin D and ID1 protein in their tumors. Women with low vitamin D levels expressed more ID1 in their tumor tissue.

This confirmed that vitamin D metabolism directly controls the expression of the ID1 gene in breast cancer cells. At the same time, vitamin D deficiency also causes non-metastatic cancer cells to become metastatic. It significantly accelerated the rate of tumor formation in mice.

This finding needs further study, but breast cancer patients should pay attention to their vitamin D levels. The study did not provide a recommended daily intake of vitamin D, but the Institute of Medicine recommends that people under 70 should take about 600 IU, and those over 70 should take about 800 IU. Pregnant women and people over 65 should take a supplement of about 10 micrograms (0.01 mg) of vitamin D per day.

However, taking too much vitamin D (about 4,000 to 10,000 IU) will harm the kidneys, cardiovascular system and internal organs./.

According to VOV