Vitamin D3 News
Breaking news: November 2009
Vol 1 No 13
In This Issue
Vitamin D3 and breast cancer
This month witnessed an important conference that included more than 130 of the worlds experts on Vitamin D3. Headlines from the conference announced that breast cancer is a Vitamin D3 deficiency disease. This issue is devoted to breast cancer and the correlation with Vitamin D3 deficiency.
Breast Cancer as a Vitamin D Deficiency Disease
 
This month the University of Toronto School of Medicine held a conference entitled Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency. It was the largest gathering of Vitamin D researchers in North America this year.  
 
Dr. Cedric Garland, who was the first to propose that Vitamin D deficiency explained the correlation between higher cancer rates at higher latitudes, was the highlight of the conference with his presentation entitled, "Breast Cancer as a Vitamin D Deficiency Disease."
 
His presentation proposed that breast cancer is a disease so directly related to Vitamin D deficiency that a woman' risk of developing the disease can be 'virtually eradicated' by maintaining Vitamin D levels at what are considered to be natural blood levels.
 
Dr Vieth, another champion of the Vitamin D story, explained that the natural Vitamin D levels found in mammals  who live outdoors in sunny climates is as high as 200nmol/L (80ngms/ml). Dr. Garlands data proposed that raising Vitamin D levels to near those natural levels would decrease the risk of breast cancer by 77%.
 
The conference was arranged by Dr. Reinhold Vieth of the University of Toronto in conjunction with Grassroots Health, an group founded by breast cancer survivor Carole Baggerly. Both have dedicated themselves to spreading the word about the consequences of Vitamin D deficiency throughout the world and particularly in Canada.

The Grassroots organization has assembled a "D-action" panel of thirty of the world's leading researchers on Vitamin D. This group now recommends that 2000IU of Vitamin D3 daily is needed and that blood levels should be maintained between 100-150nmol/L (40-50ngms/ml). 
Research conducted by the University of Calgary has shown as many as 97% of Canadians are Vitamin D deficient  due to the countries high latitude and lack of sun exposure.
 
More than 3000 scientific papers on Vitamin D have been published in the last twelve months making Vitamin D the most talked about topic in medicine this year. This work has connected Vitamin D deficiency with more that two dozen forms of cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and multiple other conditions. 
 
The products and claims made here have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. The information provided is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.
Vitamin D in Cancer Prevention: Global Perspective 
 
Just a few months prior to the conference mentioned above, Dr. Garland published an extensive review of recent data on the role of Vitamin D in cancer prevention and treatment in Annals of Epidemiology. This publication reviewed the data on many different types of cancer but only the data on breast cancer is presented here.
 
Results of recent Observational Studies:
Women in the NHANES III Study with Vitamin D levels higher than 25ng/ml (62nmol/L) had only one fourth of the mortality rate from breast cancer compared to those with levels less than 25ng/ml (relative risk 0.28, p<0.05). (1)
 
A recent pooled analysis of two studies of breast cancer showed that women with Vitamin D levels greater than 38ng/ml (95nmol/L) had a 58% lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to those with a Vitamin D level less than 15ng/ml. In this study patients were put into four groups depending on their Vitamin D levels. The incidence of breast cancer across these groups demonstrated a dose response that is a strong indicator of cause and effect. (p trend >0.02) (2,3)
 
Findings from a further case control study found similar statistically significant trends for premenopausal (4) and postmenopausal women (5).
 
Serum Vitamin D Levels and Survival of Breast Cancer Patients 
Breast cancer patients with Vitamin D levels higher than 29ng/ml (72nmol/L) at diagnosis had a 42% lower 15-year death rate compared to those with Vitamin D levels less than 20ng/ml (50 nmol/L).
 
The incidence of metastases was 50% less in women with levels greater than 29ng/ml compared to those with levels less than 20ng/ml. Both of these findings were statistically significant p<0.02. (6)
 
Dr Garlands Conclusions:
2000IU of Vitamin D3 per day would lead to significant reductions in the incidence of breast cancer. A dose of 2000IU is the present upper limit suggested by the National Academy of Sciences. Approximately 250,000 new cases of breast cancer would be prevented each year by raising serum levels of Vitamin D to approximately 40-60ng/ml.
 
The preventive effects of higher Vitamin D3 intake have led 16 Vitamin D scientists and physicians in the US and Canada to disseminate a call to action recommending universal daily intake of 2000IU Vitamin D3. In the "call to action" distributed in July 2008, they conclude: Delays in taking reasonable preventive action on cancer by ensuring nearly universal oral intake of vitamin D3 in the range of 2000IU/day is costing thousands of lives unnecessarily each year that are lost due to fractures, cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other diseases for which Vitamin D deficiency plays a major role.
 
(1) Freedman DM, Looker AC, Chang SC, Graubard BI. Prospective study of
serum vitamin D and cancer mortality in the United States. J Natl
Cancer Inst. 2007;99:1594-1602.
(2) Lowe LC, Guy M, Mansi JL, Peckitt C, Bliss J, Wilson RG, et al. Plasma
25-hydroxy vitamin D concentrations, vitamin D receptor genotype and
breast cancer risk in a UK Caucasian population. Eur J Cancer.
2005;41:1164-1169
(3) Bertone-Johnson ER, Chen WY, Holick MF, Hollis BW, Colditz GA,
Willett WC, et al. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin
D and risk of breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev.
2005;14:1991-1997.
(4) Abbas S, Chang-Claude J, Linseisen J. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D and
premenopausal breast cancer risk in a German case-control study. Int J
Cancer. 2009;124:250-255
(5) Abbas S, Linseisen J, Slanger T, Kropp S, Mutschelknauss EJ, Flesch-
Janys D, et al. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of post-menopausal
breast cancerdresults of a large case-control study. Carcinogenesis.
2008;29:93-99.
(6) Goodwin P, Ennis M, Pritchard K, Koo J, Hood N, Lunenfeld S, et al.
Vitamin D deficiency is common at breast cancer diagnosis and is
associated with a significantly higher risk of distant recurrence and death
in a prospective cohort study of T1-3, N0-1, M0 BC. J Clin Oncol.
2008;26(Suppl): Abstract 511
Vitamin D3 2000IU 
Vitamin D3 for the Christmas Stocking!
  
Short of ideas for gifts this holiday season?
How about giving friends and relatives a bottle of Vitamin D3 microtablets?
 
If you are reading this newsletter you probably already understand the importance of Vitamin D3. Help spread the word that Vitamin D deficiency is frighteningly common and everyone needs to protect themselves from the consequences.
 
Think especially of elderly relatives who are so prone to falls and fractures, who spend so little time in the sun and who are almost uniformly deficient. 
 
It may be the least expensive present you have ever bought, but is may turn out to be the most valuable.

Customers can still obtain free supplies of 400IU Vitamin D3 microtablets for their children. For more details, click here.

 
Editorial Comment
 
Could it possibly be that simple-cancer is a a Vitamin D deficiency disease?  Throughout medical history certain conditions were totally resistant to the treatment of the day until the disease was recognized to be caused by a deficiency. Once recognized and the deficiency eliminated, the disease all but disappears. As a result, few tend to think of deficiency as a cause of disease. The data on Vitamin D3 grows by the week, but still the majority of people are uninformed. Please forward this information to anyone who may be interested and invite them to sign up for our newsletter. If you have received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to receive future updates here.