First, I believe in women making choices regarding their own health care (for that matter, I believe EVERYONE should decide the best course of therapy for an illness). While our doctors serve as a primary source of information, they should NEVER have the final say about OUR health care choices and decisions.
As a doctor, I readily admit I don’t know everything! I don’t have time to know everything, so I’m always thankful when my own patients provide me with research they have found that might positively influence the outcome of their diseases. I’ve done the hard research for you on the topic of breast cancer, and it is my hope that when properly used, the information in Breast Choices for the Best Chances: Your Breasts, Your Life, and How You Can Win the Battle! will save lives.
“75 percent of breast cancer could be prevented with higher vitamin D serum levels.”Dr. Cedric F. Garland Moores Cancer Center
and UCSD School of MedicineResearch shows that most people are severely deficient in vitamin D, even those who receive sunlight exposure. It is recommended that vitamin D3 (not vitamin D2, the form often prescribed by doctors) should be a supplement most people take for its numerous health benefits, including cancer prevention.
Optimizing vitamin D levels may be one of the most important steps you can take to stay healthy; in fact, vitamin D is not simply a vitamin but also a neuroregulatory hormone that influences nearly 3,000 different genes in your body.
Vitamin D kills cancer by promoting cell differentiation and supporting apoptosis (normal programmed cell death), as well as helping to prevent metastases and angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation needed for cancer to grow and spread.
According to Dr. Cedric F. Garland of the Moores Cancer Center and UCSD School of Medicine, “75 percent of breast cancer could be prevented with higher vitamin D serum levels.”
Mammographic density is considered a strong risk factor for breast cancer. Women who had a combined daily intake of 100 IU or more of vitamin D combined with 750 mg or more of calcium demonstrated decreased breast density compared to women with lower intakes of the two nutrients, suggesting that adequate consumption of vitamin D and calcium may reduce breast cancer risk.
Women taking tamoxifen should consider vitamin D supplementation as vitamin D3 works synergistically with tamoxifen to inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation.
Compared with sun-deprived women, women from lower, sunnier latitudes typically have lower rates of breast cancer. Additionally, the women from sunny places who consumed the most dietary vitamin D (from foods and supplements) enjoyed a greater breast-risk reduction than the women who consumed less dietary vitamin D (a combination of ample sun exposure and ample vitamin D intake was associated with the greatest risk reduction, compared with getting vitamin D from either sunlight or diet alone). In general, 30 minutes of daily sun exposure creates 10,000 IU of Vitamin D3 in your body.
The Food & Nutrition Board of the U.S. Institute of Medicine just tripled the recommended daily allowances for vitamin D3 from 200 IU for adults to 600 IU. However, most naturopathic physicians recommend a minimum of 1000 IU per day and many are now recommending at least 8000 IU per day in order to raise blood levels to at least 50 –70 ng/ml, considered an optimal or normal healthy level. For cancer patients, a target goal for Vitamin D3 blood levels should be at least 60 –80 ng/ml and maybe even closer to 80 –100 ng/ml (most people have levels less than 35, with 35 being a minimum level for health). New research shows that even higher daily doses of oral vitamin D3 (10,000–50,000 IU/day) are unlikely to be associated with toxicity (defined as blood levels above 200 ng/ ml). However, the best dose for each person to reach a target range of at least 60–80 ng/ml (and a range of 80–100 ng/ml for cancer patients) is best determined by blood testing due to individual response to supplemental vitamin D3.
Because vitamin K and iodine are also important for breast cancer patients (iodine deficiency has been linked to increased risks of breast cancer, and iodine supplementation provides additional iodine that can decrease the ability of estrogen to bind to estrogen receptors on the breast cells,) the vitamin D3 supplement Sandy, First, I believe in women making choices regarding their own health care (for that matter, I believe EVERYONE should decide the best course of therapy for an illness). While our doctors serve as a primary source of information, they should NEVER have the final say about OUR health care choices and decisions.
Vitamin D should be a supplement most people take for its numerous health benefits, including cancer prevention.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Shawn Messonnier is a regular contributor to Total Health Magazine Online. “Breast Choices for the Best Chances: Your Breasts, Your Life, and How You Can Win the Battle!” was researched and written with Sandy, his wife when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Available at Amazon.com
