Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiGBVDcbFVk

Another great lecture from Michael Holick

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

This thread has a lot about vitamin D deficiencies and recurrence or spread of the cancer. A few years before I was diagnosed with cancer I found out I had a deficiency and I have been on supplements ever since. My levels are still low (although the last test had them in the normal range . . . barely) but we're still working on upping my numbers.

My question is, will upping my vitamin D numbers improve my odds or does the fact that I had a deficiency in the past handicap me for all time, if that makes sense?

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

Upping your circulating D will improve your odds. D helps cells that aren't right go thru cell death as they are supposed to. Some cells that are not right won't and stay alive to further reproduce and mutate more. They can eventually become cancer. This process is called cell apoptosis.

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

I have been taking vitamin D for several years now. My endocrinologist diagnosed me as having low vitamin D and suggested supplements. I take 1000 IU per day and this keeps my D level really good. It is true that many have low vitamin D and don't know it. There are also prescriptions for high level vitamin D is you are really low, however, I just take an over the counter vitamin D supplement and it works great.

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

This is directed to Jackie, who mentioned she was taking a 6 week high dose Vitamin D protocol.. or anyone of you who would have information regarding high dose. I know this is years away from your post,.. but how did your body respond to 50,000 IU of Vitamin D for 6 weeks? I was on that dosage for several months, and then reduced to 30,000. I will be taking the 25OH test in May.

thank you,

Sharon

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

My endo had me on 50,000 IU ergocalciferol (D2) several years ago. I think I stayed the course for three or four months, and then I switched to cholecalciferol (D3), which is what I currently take (10,000 IU/3 days + 6,000 IU/4 days for a total of 54,000 IU/week). Most people don't need that much forever, but I have a couple of wonks in my VDR gene.

I didn't notice much improvement on the D2, but my levels were pretty low at the start, and they didn't get high enough to help me even after several months. For a long time, I took just 5,000 IU/day, and that wasn't enough. An increase to 6000 IU/day didn't do it either. On my current dose, I no longer suffer from seasonal affective disorder. I have never had a deleterious side effect on any dose.

IMO, there are two advantages to ergocalciferol: 1) insurance pays for it, and 2) you only have to remember it once a week. Vitamin D3 is pretty cheap, though--probably not much more than the co-pay, and you can take it weekly in the higher dose if that works better for you.

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

Hi Sharon,

Thanks for asking. I am pretty sure my number (of Vit D) has been normalized in recent years as the doctors have not said anything about it since then.

I think the cause of it was that I had had a very busy schedule from 2003 to 2008 and rarely had time to go outside to absorb the sunlight. That's why even though I live in the sunny South, I still developed the deficiency. Once I realized it, I made sure that I would spend time outdoors and take my daily vitamin.

I also remind myself to 'tap' my feet whenever I'm at the computer. Due to the problems caused by the brain tumors (unrelated to breast cancer), I don't 'exercise' or even walk very much these days. So tapping my feet while sitting has become a second nature.

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

Truly a quantum leap forward in terms of possible public policy changes . . .
:) :) :) :) :)

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/1...D_supplements/

"Scots told to take vitamin D supplements

ALL Scots should take vitamin D supplements because of the health implications of a lack of bright sunshine, according to experts.

An advisory body set up by the UK Government said the bleak British weather is stopping much of the population from receiving healthy amounts of the essential vitamin from sunlight - and natural food sources alone are not enough to boost levels.

The independent Scientific Advisory Body on Nutrition (SACN) made the recommendation after studying the links between vitamin D levels and a range of health problems, including musculoskeletal health, heart disease, type 1 diabetes, cancer and multiple sclerosis.

Current government advice is that at-risk groups, including pregnant women, children up to the age of five, adults over 65, and people with darker skin as well those who do not expose their skin to sunlight, should take a daily vitamin D supplement.

However, if SACN's draft recommendations are adopted it could lead to new guidance affecting the whole population. " . . . MORE

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

Fat has an under appreciated role as a potential major storage site for fat soluble nutrients including vitamin D.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC291976/

Abstract

Deposition in and release of vitamin D3 from body fat: evidence for a storage site in the rat
Saul J. Rosenstreich, Clayton Rich, and Wade Volwiler
Author information ► Copyright and License information ►
This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.
Abstract

Vitamin D in all body tissues was radio-labeled by supplementing completely vitamin D-deficient weanling rats with oral vitamin D3-4-14C for 2 wk. All vitamin D was then withheld, and radioactivity and vitamin D content in a variety of organs and tissues were measured. Adipose tissue was found to contain by far the greatest quantity of radioactivity throughout the 3 month experimental period. Immediately after supplementation, half of the total radioactivity in adipose tissue corresponded to unaltered vitamin D3, and the other half to polar metabolites and esters of vitamin D3 and unidentified peak II. 1 month later there was approximately the same proportion but a decrease in the total quantity of each form. We conclude that adipose tissue is the major storage site for vitamin D3 in its several forms. Unaltered vitamin D3 was the principal storage form observed and presumably a source available for conversion to other metabolites during deprivation.

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26614548

Vitamin D and chemo.

ABSTRACT

"Breast. 2015 Nov 21. pii: S0960-9776(15)00230-1. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2015.10.005. [Epub ahead of print]
Vitamin D (25-0H D3) status and pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in stage II/III breast cancer: Data from the NEOZOTAC trial (BOOG 10-01).
Charehbili A1, Hamdy NA2, Smit VT3, Kessels L4, van Bochove A5, van Laarhoven HW6, Putter H7, Meershoek-Klein Kranenbarg E8, van Leeuwen-Stok AE9, van der Hoeven JJ10, van de Velde CJ8, Nortier JW10, Kroep JR11; Dutch Breast Cancer Research Group (BOOG).
Author information
Abstract
BACKGROUND:

Serum levels of 25-OH vitamin D3 (vitamin D) have been shown to be prognostic for disease-free survival in patients with breast cancer. We investigated the predictive value of these levels for pathological response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer taking part in the NEOZOTAC phase-III trial. Additionally, the effect of chemotherapy on vitamin D levels was studied.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Serum vitamin D was measured at baseline and before the last cycle of chemotherapy. The relationship between these measurements and clinical outcome, as defined by pathological complete response in breast and lymph nodes (pCR) was examined.
RESULTS:

Baseline and end of treatment vitamin D data were available in 169 and 91 patients, respectively. Median baseline vitamin D values were 58.0 nmol/L. In patients treated with chemotherapy only, serum vitamin D levels decreased during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (median decrease of 16 nmol/L, P = 0.003). The prevalence of vitamin D levels < 50 nmol/L increased from 38.3% at baseline to 55.9% after chemotherapy. In the total population, baseline and end of therapy vitamin D levels were not related to pathological response. No associations were found between pCR and vitamin D level changes.
CONCLUSION:

The significant decrease in vitamin D post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy suggests that vitamin D levels should be monitored and in case of decrease of vitamin D levels, correction may be beneficial for skeletal health and possibly breast cancer outcome.

Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved."

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26554935

Low Vit D and triple negative

ABSTRACT


J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2015 Nov 7. pii: S0960-0760(15)30129-1. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2015.11.003. [Epub ahead of print]
Vitamin D levels and breast cancer characteristics: Findings in patients from Saudi Arabia.
Abulkhair O1, Saadeddin A1, Makram O1, Gasmelseed A1, Pasha T1, Shehata H1, Fakhoury HM2.
Author information
Abstract

Inverse relationship between vitamin D status and risk of breast cancer has been previously reported in the literature. We conducted this study to determine the association between vitamin D levels and breast cancer characteristics in patients from Saudi Arabia. Newly diagnosed breast cancer patients (N=406) were recruited. Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25 (OH) D] were measured at baseline. A significantly higher percentage of patients with triple negative status (18%) had 25 (OH) D levels ≤25nmol/L, compared to only 8% with 25 (OH) D levels >25nmol/L (p=0.009). Patients with 25 (OH) D levels ≤25nmol/L were 2.54 times more likely to present with triple negative status compared to those with 25 (OH) D levels >25nmol/L (p=0.02). Our findings suggest an association between low 25 (OH) D levels and increased risk of triple negative breast cancer.

Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26408720

Ketogenic diet plus vitamin D lowered HER2 marker,

Only one person, the diet is not specified,
and of course there could be other factors,
but intriguing nonetheless.

ABSTRACT

"Anticancer Res. 2015 Oct;35(10):5525-32.
Effects of Pre-surgical Vitamin D Supplementation and Ketogenic Diet in a Patient with Recurrent Breast Cancer.
Branca JJ1, Pacini S2, Ruggiero M3.
Author information
Abstract
BACKGROUND:

A woman, mother of one at the age of 19 years, was diagnosed with mammary adenocarcinoma in the right breast in 1985 at the age of 37 years. The patient underwent surgery (quadrantectomy), lymphadenectomy and radiotherapy. In 1999, an adenocarcinoma was diagnosed in the left breast, followed by adequate resection, radiotherapy and anti-oestrogen receptor treatment for 6 years. In March 2014, an infiltrating adenocarcinoma was diagnosed in the remaining part of the right breast that had been operated on and irradiated in 1985.
CASE REPORT:

The pre-surgical biopsy, showed weak positivity for progesterone receptor (PgR) (<1%), high positivity for oestrogen receptor (ER) (90%), high positivity for human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) (>10%, score 2+), and high positivity for the nuclear protein Ki67 (30%). In the three weeks between diagnosis and operation, when no other treatment had been planned, the patient decided to self-administer high doses of oral vitamin D3 (10,000 IU/day), and to follow a strict ketogenic diet.
RESULTS:

Following right mastectomy, analysis of the surgical specimen showed no positivity for HER2 expression (negative, score 0), and significant increase in positivity of PgR (20%). Positivity for ER and Ki67 were unaltered.

CONCLUSION:

This observation indicates that a combination of high-dose vitamin D3 and ketogenic diet leads to changes in some biological markers of breast cancer, i.e. negativization of HER2 expression and increased expression of PgR.

Copyright© 2015 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved."

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

I am not sure if I have posted this before but it not should have done.

Links to papers on Vitamin D by medical condition.

A fantastic resource set up by an Ex NASA member

http://www.vitamindwiki.com/VitaminDWiki


This McCarrison site below is only partly complete; I am chair of the Society; it is about 60 years old but in need of renewal, etc etc hence this new web site I am paying for having built and populating it. The web site will subject to internal discussions etc in due course hopefully go live at McCarrison.com and people will be able to join there, contribute to discussions etc.

https://mccarrison.com/ (work in progress)

Earlier version

http://mccarrison.alakmalak.org/reso...r/vitamin-d-2/



I post the link here for the 1920s and 1930 research on bone formation and vitamin D by the Mellanby's which I have scanned and uploaded; it would be hard to read it / see the images and not conclude vitamin D is important to bone formation.

We have for example lost sight of the role of vitamin D in preventing the bone related condition rickets.

There is also a nascent Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/McCarrisonSociety1/

Aim - to lobby for / promote better food and education / including through highlighting forgotten knowledge and observations

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

Keywords:

cigarette smoke;cohort study; CVD ;melanoma;mortality;public health

Abstract
Objective

Women with active sunlight exposure habits experience a lower mortality rate than women who avoid sun exposure; however, they are at an increased risk of skin cancer. We aimed to explore the differences in main causes of death according to sun exposure.
Methods

We assessed the differences in sun exposure as a risk factor for all-cause mortality in a competing risk scenario for 29 518 Swedish women in a prospective 20-year follow-up of the Melanoma in Southern Sweden (MISS) cohort. Women were recruited from 1990 to 1992 (aged 25–64 years at the start of the study). We obtained detailed information at baseline on sun exposure habits and potential confounders. The data were analysed using modern survival statistics.
Results

Women with active sun exposure habits were mainly at a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and noncancer/non-CVD death as compared to those who avoided sun exposure. As a result of their increased survival, the relative contribution of cancer death increased in these women. Nonsmokers who avoided sun exposure had a life expectancy similar to smokers in the highest sun exposure group, indicating that avoidance of sun exposure is a risk factor for death of a similar magnitude as smoking. Compared to the highest sun exposure group, life expectancy of avoiders of sun exposure was reduced by 0.6–2.1 years.
Conclusion

The longer life expectancy amongst women with active sun exposure habits was related to a decrease in CVD and noncancer/non-CVD mortality, causing the relative contribution of death due to cancer to increase.


http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...12496/abstract

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

Tumour Biol. 2016 May;37(5):6379-87. doi: 10.1007/s13277-015-4417-8. Epub 2015 Dec 2.
Genetic variation in vitamin D-related genes and risk of breast cancer among women of European and East Asian descent.
Shi J1, Grundy A2, Richardson H1, Burstyn I3, Schuetz JM4, Lohrisch CA5, SenGupta SK6, Lai AS7, Brooks-Wilson A4,8, Spinelli JJ7,9, Aronson KJ10,11.
Author information
Abstract
Studies of vitamin D-related genetic variants and breast cancer have been inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate associations of vitamin D-related polymorphisms and breast cancer risk among European and East Asian women and potential interactions with menopausal status and breast tumour subtypes. Data from a case-control study of breast cancer (1037 cases and 1050 controls) were used to assess relationships between 21 polymorphisms in two vitamin D-related genes (GC and VDR) and breast cancer risk. Odds ratios were calculated in stratified analyses of European and East Asian women, using logistic regression in an additive genetic model. An interaction term was used to explore modification by menopausal status. Polytomous regression was used to assess heterogeneity by breast tumour subtype. False discovery rate adjustments were conducted to account for multiple testing. No association was observed between GC or VDR polymorphisms and breast cancer risk. Modification of these relationships by menopausal status was observed for select polymorphisms in both Europeans (VDR rs4328262 and rs11168292) and East Asians (GC rs7041 and VDR rs11168287). Heterogeneity by tumour subtype was seen for three VDR polymorphisms (rs1544410, rs7967152 and rs2239186) among Europeans, in which associations with ER-/PR-/HER2+ tumours, but not with other subtypes, were observed. In conclusion, associations between vitamin D-related genetic variants and breast cancer were not observed overall, although the relationships between vitamin D pathway polymorphisms and breast cancer may be modified by menopausal status and breast tumour subtype.

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

I appreciate the information above. Actually, I have read about recent studies reveal the relation of Vitamin D and the risk of breast cancer. It has been said that women with higher levels of vitamin D are more capable to survive breast cancer. Others have shown that this vitamin may help in protecting against such cancer because it makes the cells in the breast stronger.

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

HI Hopingmind,

Thank you for your thoughts and observations which lead me to revisit NCBI which I have not done for a while. There are heaps of papers which can be found including here.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?ter...reast%20cancer

Is one of those you were referring to - clear benefits against recurrence - marginal benefits in terms of prevention

In respect of the occurrence risk conclusions the high intakes of vitamin D considered were 500IU which will not make a significant difference to plasma vitamin D and is well below the levels suggested to make a difference to risk of occurrence for example on the Grass Roots Health and VitaminDwiki sites.

However results of the risk v higher blood levels were mixed, and overall only just positive; further comment would need examination of all of the studies considered.

But there are lots of other reasons for attaining reasonable Vit D levels - see Grass Roots Health and VitaminDwiki
http://www.vitamindwiki.com/Proof+that+Vitamin+D+Works

Thanks again for your thoughts :)



Abstract

"Background:

Experimental studies suggest potential anti-carcinogenic properties of vitamin D against breast cancer risk, but the epidemiological evidence to date is inconsistent.

Methods:

We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE databases along with a hand search for eligible studies to examine the association between vitamin D status (based on diet and blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D)) and breast cancer risk or mortality in a meta-analysis. A random-effect model was used to calculate a pooled adjusted relative risk (RR).

Results:

A total of 30 prospective studies (nested case-control or cohort) were included for breast cancer incidence (n=24 studies; 31 867 cases) or mortality (n=6 studies; 870 deaths) among 6092 breast cancer patients. The pooled RRs of breast cancer incidence for the highest vs the lowest vitamin D intake and blood 25(OH)D levels were 0.95 (95% CI: 0.88–1.01) and 0.92 (95% CI: 0.83–1.02), respectively. Among breast cancer patients, high blood 25(OH)D levels were significantly associated with lower breast cancer mortality (pooled RR=0.58, 95% CI: 0.40–0.85) and overall mortality (pooled RR=0.61, 95% CI: 0.48–0.79). There was no evidence of heterogeneity and publication bias.

Conclusions:

Our findings suggest that high vitamin D status is weakly associated with low breast cancer risk but strongly associated with better breast cancer survival."

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

Just a quick post for the moment; this is what I have been up too for a while; having the honor of being asked to write some 6 chapters in a edited Springer Publication. (A university type reference book)

The chapters argue the physiological importance of plant based Omega 3 linolenic acid ALA and Omega 6 linoleic acid LA in evolutionary terms as well as on physiology and energetics.

There is a limited amount of material on cancer; the chapters look more widely at the impact of and implications of imbalances, and oxidation of LA and ALA, in the context of a western nutrient depleted diet, on the occurrence of western non-communicable diseases including cardiovascular, obesity dementia's, and more widely behavioral change, trends to aggression etc, set within an evolutionary framework.

Some of the ideas are new and arguably potentially of significant importance. As above the University Books are expensive, but may be found in some libraries. (just to be clear I and other contributors received no payment or reward beyond a free copy and the honor of contributing).

This thread http://www.her2support.org/vbulletin...=24410&page=22 that has been running since 2005 was in part the start of the journey that lead to these chapters being written. so thank you all very much for your interest and support over the years.



http://www.springer.com/br/book/9783319404561
Pages 321- 463

Re: Vitamin D thread -Please use this for your Vit D info.
 

Thanks for the update RB :-)
Seeing my alternative medicine guru tomorrow - the first time in over a year. He first taught me about balancing the omega's, eliminating wheat and dairy and upping the vitamin D. It's been over 9 years of living with mets.
Nice to "read from you"!
A So Cal Gal