PARIS: Vitamin D may stop breast cancer from spreading, a study published on Monday tentatively suggests.
Researchers at Imperial College in London took blood samples from 279 women with invasive breast cancer to assess levels of vitamin D, calcium and parathyroid hormone (PTH), which boosts calcium concentrations in the blood.
Among the 75 women with advanced breast cancer, levels of vitamin D were surprisingly low but their levels of PTH were significantly high when compared with the 204 women with early-stage cancer.
There was no difference in calcium levels between the two groups. The paper acknowledges that the number of women assessed is relatively small and admits it is unclear whether low vitamin D levels were a cause -- or alternatively, a consequence of -- the advanced cancer.
The authors theorise that vitamin D may block progression of breast cancer beyond its early phase. They point to previous lab-dish research that shows vitamin D stops cancer cells from dividing and encourages flawed cells to commit suicide.
In addition, research on diseases among populations suggests a link between high rates of breast cancer and low exposure to sunlight.
Vitamin D is produced naturally by the skin's exposure to the Sun and is also famously present in oily fish.
The study is published online by the Journal of Clinical Pathology, a publication of the British Medical Association (BMA).
