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

[Jackie07]

One more benefit of Vitamin D:

By Todd Neale, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: April 11, 2011
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and
Dorothy Caputo, MA, RN, BC-ADM, CDE, Nurse Planner

Vitamin D Again Tied to Lower AMD Risk


Higher levels of circulating vitamin D appear to reduce the risk for early onset of age-related macular degeneration in women ages 50 to 74, an ancillary study of the Women's Health Initiative showed.

Among postmenopausal women younger than 75, those who had the highest concentrations of 25 (OH)D (at least 75 nmol/L) were significantly less likely to develop the eye condition than those with the lowest (38 nmol/L or lower), according to Amy Millen, PhD, of the University at Buffalo in New York, and colleagues.

The odds ratio was 0.52 (95% CI 0.29 to 0.91) after adjustment for age, smoking, iris pigmentation, family history of age-related macular degeneration, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hormone therapy use, the researchers reported in the April issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

Further adjustment for body mass index and physical activity, however, rendered the association nonsignificant, likely because of the strong correlation between those two factors and vitamin D status, Millen and her colleagues wrote.

"More studies are needed to verify this association prospectively as well as to better understand the potential interaction between vitamin D status and genetic and lifestyle factors with respect to risk of early age-related macular degeneration," they wrote.
The findings confirm the strong inverse relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and early age-related macular degeneration found using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Millen and her colleagues looked at data from the Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Disease Study (CAREDS), which was conducted under the umbrella of the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. In CAREDS, age-related macular degeneration status was assessed an average of six years after serum samples were analyzed for 25(OH)D status.
The current analysis included 1,313 women ages 50 to 79. Overall, 241 women developed early age-related macular degeneration and 26 developed advanced disease.
The median serum 25 (OH)D level was 30 nmol/L in the lowest quintile and 85 nmol/L in the highest.
In a multivariate analysis of women of all ages, there was no significant relationship between early age-related macular degeneration and 25(OH)D concentration (OR for the highest versus the lowest quintile 0.79, 95% CI 0.50 to 1.24).
There was, however, a significant interaction with age (P=0.002), which suggested a selective mortality bias in women 75 and older, according to the researchers.
Although there was a decrease in the odds of early age-related macular degeneration with increasing 25(OH)D levels in women younger than 75, there was a nonsignificant trend in the opposite direction for older women (OR 1.76, 95% CI 0.77 to 4.13).
Further adjustment for BMI and recreational physical activity, however, weakened both associations.
Also in women younger than 75, increased intake of vitamin D from foods and supplements combined was associated with lower odds of early age-related macular degeneration -- consuming at least 18µg/day was associated with 59% lower odds of developing the condition (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.78).
The authors noted that that level of intake equals 720 IU/day, which exceeds to Institute of Medicine's recommendation for 600 IU/day.
There was not association between time spent in direct sunlight and the likelihood of developing macular degeneration.
Millen and her colleagues acknowledged some limitations of the study, including the inability to establish causality using an observational study, the limited generalizability beyond postmenopausal white women, possible selection bias, and the lack of information on genetic risk factors for age-related macular degeneration.

[R.B.]

Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2011 Apr;20(4):717.
The Association between Prognostic Demographic and Tumor Characteristics of Breast Carcinomas with Serum 25-OH Vitamin D Levels.
Peppone L, Rickles A, Huston A, Sprod L, Hicks D, Mustian K, Skinner K.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:

Epidemiologic studies show that women with low 25-OH vitamin D levels have an increased risk of breast cancer incidence and mortality. However, there is a lack of research examining vitamin D levels and prognostic variables in breast cancer patients. The aim of this study is to identify the associations between 25-OH vitamin D levels, demographic variables, and prognostic pathological and genetic characteristics of breast cancers.
METHOD:

This study cohort consists of 155 women who underwent breast cancer surgery at the University of Rochester between 1/2009 and 9/2010. Vitamin D levels were obtained in the 1-year period before and after surgery (74% of vitamin D levels within 6 months). Prognostic variables included age, race, menopausal status, Oncotype DX score, TNM staging, ER/PR status, and HER2 expression. ANCOVA, linear regression, and logistic regression were used to determine the association between prognostic variables and 25-OH vitamin D levels, while controlling for relevant covariates (age, race, and month of blood draw).
RESULTS:

Non-Caucasian (OR = 3.8; P < 0.01) and premenopausal (OR = 3.5; P < 0.01) breast cancer patients were significantly more likely to have suboptimal 25-OH vitamin D levels than Caucasian and postmenopausal patients, respectively. Women with invasive breast tumors were more likely to have suboptimal vitamin D levels (invasive OR = 2.4; P = 0.10) and lower mean 25-OH vitamin D levels (invasive: 30.5 ng/mL vs. in situ: 36.9 ng/mL; P = 0.04). A significant correlation (r = -0.42; P = 0.04) between decreasing vitamin D levels and increasing Oncotype score was noted. Breast cancer patients who had ER- and triple-negative breast tumors were more likely to have suboptimal levels of 25-OH vitamin D (ER-OR = 2.4; P = 0.07; triple-negative OR = 2.6; P = 0.09).
CONCLUSIONS:

Breast cancer patients with suboptimal vitamin D levels were more likely to have tumors with more aggressive tumor profiles, worse prognostic markers (ER- and triple-negative tumors), and higher recurrence risk (Oncotype scores), lending support to previous research that found decreased breast cancer survival among vitamin D deficient individuals. Further research is needed to elucidate the biological relationship between vitamin D and prognostic breast cancer markers.

PMID:
21454428
[PubMed - in process]

[R.B.]

Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2011 May;127(1):171-7. Epub 2011 Mar 8.
The effect of various vitamin D supplementation regimens in breast cancer patients.
Peppone LJ, Huston AJ, Reid ME, Rosier RN, Zakharia Y, Trump DL, Mustian KM, Janelsins MC, Purnell JQ, Morrow GR.
Source

Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave, Box 704, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA, luke_peppone@urmc.rochester.edu.
Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency in the patients treated for breast cancer is associated with numerous adverse effects (bone loss, arthralgia, and falls). The first aim of this study was to assess vitamin D status, determined by 25-OH vitamin D levels, among women diagnosed with breast cancer according to demographic/clinical variables and bone mineral density (BMD). The second aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of daily low-dose and weekly high-dose vitamin D supplementation on 25-OH vitamin D levels. This retrospective study included 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. Total 25-OH vitamin D levels (D(2) + D(3)) were determined at baseline for all participants. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as a 25-OH vitamin D level < 20 ng/ml, insufficiency as 20-31 ng/ml, and sufficiency as ≥32 ng/ml. BMD was assessed during the period between 3 months before and 6 months following the baseline vitamin D assessment. Based on the participants' baseline levels, they received either no supplementation, low-dose supplementation (1,000 IU/day), or high-dose supplementation (≥50,000 IU/week), and 25-OH vitamin D was reassessed in the following 8-16 weeks. Approximately 66.5% had deficient/insufficient vitamin D levels at baseline. Deficiency/insufficiency was more common among non-Caucasians, women with later-stage disease, and those who had previously received radiation therapy (P < 0.05). Breast cancer patients with deficient/insufficient 25-OH vitamin D levels had significantly lower lumbar BMD (P = 0.03). Compared to the no-supplementation group, weekly high-dose supplementation significantly increased 25-OH vitamin D levels, while daily low-dose supplementation did not significantly increase levels. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were common among women with breast cancer and associated with reduced BMD in the spine. Clinicians should carefully consider vitamin D supplementation regimens when treating vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in breast cancer patients.

PMID:
21384167
[PubMed - in process]

[R.B.]

Pretreatment serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and breast cancer prognostic characteristics: a case-control and a case-series study.
Yao S, Sucheston LE, Millen AE, Johnson CS, Trump DL, Nesline MK, Davis W, Hong CC, McCann SE, Hwang H, Kulkarni S, Edge SB, O'Connor TL, Ambrosone CB.
Source

Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, United States of America. song.yao@roswellpark.org
Abstract
BACKGROUND:

Results from epidemiologic studies on the relationship between vitamin D and breast cancer risk are inconclusive. It is possible that vitamin D may be effective in reducing risk only of specific subtypes due to disease heterogeneity.
METHODS AND FINDINGS:

In case-control and case-series analyses, we examined serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) in relation to breast cancer prognostic characteristics, including histologic grade, estrogen receptor (ER), and molecular subtypes defined by ER, progesterone receptor (PR) and HER2, among 579 women with incident breast cancer and 574 controls matched on age and time of blood draw enrolled in the Roswell Park Cancer Institute from 2003 to 2008. We found that breast cancer cases had significantly lower 25OHD concentrations than controls (adjusted mean, 22.8 versus 26.2 ng/mL, p<0.001). Among premenopausal women, 25OHD concentrations were lower in those with high- versus low-grade tumors, and ER negative versus ER positive tumors (p≤0.03). Levels were lowest among women with triple-negative cancer (17.5 ng/mL), significantly different from those with luminal A cancer (24.5 ng/mL, p = 0.002). In case-control analyses, premenopausal women with 25OHD concentrations above the median had significantly lower odds of having triple-negative cancer (OR = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.08-0.53) than those with levels below the median; and every 10 ng/mL increase in serum 25OHD concentrations was associated with a 64% lower odds of having triple-negative cancer (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.22-0.56). The differential associations by tumor subtypes among premenopausal women were confirmed in case-series analyses.
CONCLUSION:

In our analyses, higher serum levels of 25OHD were associated with reduced risk of breast cancer, with associations strongest for high grade, ER negative or triple negative cancers in premenopausal women. With further confirmation in large prospective studies, these findings could warrant vitamin D supplementation for reducing breast cancer risk, particularly those with poor prognostic characteristics among premenopausal women.