Alternative Health Blog

In a retrospective study involving 224 women diagnosed with stage 0-III breast cancer who received treatment at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center, vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were quite common in this population (66.5%), and supplementation with vitamin D was associated with significant increases in 25(OH)D levels. Subjects received either no vitamin D supplementation; "low dose" supplementation, consisting of 1,000 IU/d vitamin D; or "high-dose" supplementation, consisting of at least 50,000 IU/d vitamin D. 25(OH)D was reassessed in the following 8-16 weeks. High dose supplementation was associated with significantly increased 25(OH)D levels, while low-dose supplementation did not significantly increase those levels. Low vitamin D status was associated with reduced BMD in the spine. The authors conclude, "Clinicians should carefully consider vitamin D supplementation regimens when treating vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in breast cancer patients."