A National Directory of Drug Treatment Centers and Alcohol Treatment Centers, Therapists and Specialists. A free, simple directory providing assistance and guidance for those seeking help regarding alcohol addiction, drug addiction, dependency and many other conditions that affect the mind, body and soul.
Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

Low vitamin D heightens breast-cancer mortality rate

Disease twice as likely to spread in women deficient in the nutrient, study finds

Women diagnosed with breast cancer are nearly twice as likely to have the disease spread to other parts of their bodies and are 73 per cent more likely to die from it if they have low levels of vitamin D, according to a Canadian study.

The research is being heralded as significant because it raises the possibility of treating breast cancer using an everyday nutrient that is widely available over the counter for only pennies a day. It also suggests that doctors may one day routinely check the vitamin D status of their patients and correct low levels through supplementation to improve their odds of beating the cancer.

The findings, released yesterday by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, are the first time researchers have been able to link not having enough of the sunshine vitamin to the progression of breast cancer and the fate of those with the dreaded disease.

The study is of particular importance to women in Canada, where vitamin D insufficiency is endemic because the country’s weak winter sunlight isn’t strong enough for nearly half the year to create the nutrient the natural way, through the action of strong ultraviolet light on skin.

Only one in four women in the study had adequate amounts. Surprisingly, younger women tended to have the lowest levels because they generally didn’t use vitamin D supplements, which older women often take to prevent bone fractures.

“Vitamin D deficiency is common,” observed Pamela Goodwin, senior investigator at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute in Toronto and principal researcher on the study. “It’s associated with high-grade tumours, and in our data set, it’s associated with an increased risk of [cancer spread] and death.”

Other researchers said the finding is putting vitamin D in the spotlight.

“The whole vitamin D story is important,” says Larry Norton, a medical oncologist at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and scientific adviser to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, which financed the study. He said vitamin D is “critical for general health,” including people with cancer.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology, one of the world’s major organizations for cancer doctors, considered the Canadian study to be among the most important to be discussed at its coming annual meeting, where it will be formally presented later this month.

The study was conducted at three Toronto hospitals affiliated with the University of Toronto, and followed for more than a decade the lives and deaths of 512 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1989 and 1995. All the women gave a blood sample before their cancer treatments started, from which their vitamin D status was determined. All had cancer at early stages that had not spread to other organs, and had an average age of 50.

Researchers were interested in looking at vitamin D because breast-cancer cells have receptors able to use it. These receptors influence an estimated 30 to 40 genes that, among other functions, play a role in cell reproduction, a crucial factor in the out-of-control growth characterized by cancer.

Although this new research indicates that poor vitamin D status raises the risk of death from breast cancer, Dr. Goodwin said scientists haven’t yet determined through clinical trials the optimum amount to be taken in supplement form for the best odds of fighting the disease, and she cautioned that cancer patients shouldn’t react to her findings by taking big doses.

That is because the research also raised the possibility that vitamin D is something of a Goldilocks nutrient: having too little or too much isn’t desirable, and the optimum may lie somewhere between the extremes.

What gave researchers pause was that among the 106 women who died during the 11-year study period were a small number with relatively high vitamin D levels, although there were so few of them that the results weren’t statistically significant and could have been due to chance.

The group of women in the study with the lowest rate of death had levels of a circulating form of vitamin D –known as 25-hydroxyvitamin D – in their blood of about 80 to 120 nanomoles/litre. But the average was far lower, at only 58 nmol/L.

Cancer spread – also known as metastases – was also associated with vitamin D status. The researchers found women with insufficient levels were 94 per cent more likely to have the disease spread by 10 years after diagnosis than those with sufficient levels.

Dr. Goodwin also cautioned that while the research has found an association between vitamin D and cancer progression and death, proving conclusively that low levels were the cause would require a drug-style trial.

Nonetheless, 10 years after their diagnoses, 85 per cent of the women with sufficient levels of vitamin D were still alive, but only 74 per cent of those with deficiencies.

Dr. Goodwin said that women don’t have to be part of a research program to have their vitamin D levels checked because provincial health plans will pay for the test, if ordered by a doctor, and she said it is a good idea for women worried about the nutrient to have such an analysis done.

Women can raise their blood levels of vitamin D through increased spring and summer sun exposure – with experts typically recommending short periods to minimize skin cancer risk – and through supplements.

Breast cancer is expected to strike about 22,400 Canadian women this year, making it the leading cause of cancer among women. An estimated 5,300 will die from it.
__________
source: The Globe and Mail

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Drug testing

Drug test

Drug testing basically involves collecting the urine samples to test the different drugs like cocaine, marijuana, PCP, amphetamines, etc. The teenagers, are especially more vulnerable to drug abuse as their body and brains are still developing. This can lead to adverse effects on his health, body, behavior and brain. There are number of methods that….

Continue reading

Alcohol attitudes

Overconsumption of alcohol has claimed another victim. This case hits close to home because it took the life of a 19-year-old Kansas University student. Autopsy results have not been released, but the father of Jason Wren has cited mounting evidence that a night of excessive drinking cost his son his life. Jason reportedly consumed multiple….

Continue reading

Overcoming Guilt in Substance Abuse Treatment

For many addicts and those in recovery, the feelings of guilt and shame that surround their addiction are not only powerful, they are also the motivating factor that either makes or breaks their recovery efforts. When it comes to overcoming guilt, substance abuse treatment is the beginning of a long road that includes counseling and….

Continue reading

Is Medication the Only Option in ADHD Treatment?

adhd help

How does a physician decide to treat a patient with ADHD (Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder)? Different types of ADHD treatment are available. With detailed observation, the patient should be studied at length in order to discover which options work for that particular individual. The treatment of ADHD should be tailored with a consideration of special….

Continue reading

Binge Eating Disorder Symptoms

eating disorders

Binge eating disorder is a dangerous mental health disorder marked by eating large amounts of food, frequently, and with no control over quantities or frequencies. Mental health disorders such as binge eating can lead to multiple health risks and are often a sign of underlying issues such as depression, anxiety, or substance abuse. Unlike bulimia….

Continue reading

Where do calls go?

Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center. Calls to any general helpline will be answered or returned by one of the treatment providers listed, each of which is a paid advertiser: ARK Behavioral Health, Recovery Helpline, Alli Addiction Services.

By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.

I NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOWI NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOW 888-647-0579Response time about 1 min | Response rate 100%
Who Answers?