Breast Cancer and Sunshine Vitamin
By Aneela Qureshi
October is a month dedicated to create awareness among females about Breast cancer. The purpose of October is to create awareness about most prevalent disease among female across the globe. Many seminars, awareness campaigns, awareness walks are being conducted every year on this month.
Breast cancer is now become the global health problem and cause of death worldwide. It has beenpredicted from 2008 to 2030 data, the global cancer incidence will rise to 75 % in the least developed countries. The incidence of cancer continues to rise with an estimated 13.1 million deaths in 2030. Breast cancer is defined as uncontrolled proliferation of cells which starts in breast cells and attains malignancy. Breast cancer is a multifactorial group of disease that accounts 23% of all cancers among females worldwide. Breast cancer is thesecond most leading cancer among females around the globe.
In Pakistan, incidence of breast cancer is 2.5 times more than in other countries of Asia such as Iran and India. There are different factors that influence the onset of breast cancer such as Inherent factors (age, gender, race, genetic makeup, and familial occurrence of neo-plastic disease or the occurrence of benign proliferative lesions of the mammary) and Extrinsic factorsthat includes Lifestyle, dietary habits and long term medical intervention and their influence on the neo-plastic process.
In Medical world, Surgery, Radiation Therapy, Chemotherapy areused to treat and diagnosisof breast cancer. In recent years, the nutritional risk factors in special consideration to vitamin D and calcium have gained much importance. It has been hypothesized that females who have insufficient or low levels of Vitamin D stores are more prone towards breast cancer.
Researchers in the past and present, constantly trying to reach out the main cause behind this disease. They have noticed that some genetic polymorphism inside the Vitamin D receptors cells accured and cause breast cancer. This theory has strong relation with Vitamin D deficiency with breast cancer incidence.
The sunshine vitamin (Vitamin D) has potential of lowering incidence of breast cancer. Vitamin D is known to have anti-proliferative, anti-neoplastic, and anti-neogenesis properties.Protective mechanism of vitamin D against breast cancer is done by autocrine/paracrine manner.Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D had more tumors with locally advanced and metastatic disease, lower ER-positive and more lymph node involvement, progesterone receptor-positive tumors. Vitamin D Deficiency is prevalent from 23%to 95.6%.
Serum vitamin D is best biomarker used to analyze its levels in blood. The active form of vitamin D is Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). To get sufficient amount of Vitamin D, all Females should emphasize on diet rich in Vitamin D like fortified Juice, Vitamin D fortified milk, butter, Margarine, Egg yolk, Fish and fish oils (Cod liver fish).
It has been observed that women with the highest quintile of circulating 25(OH)D was associated with a 45% decrease in breast cancer risk when compared with those women with the lowest quintile of blood 25(OH)D.
Females are mostly either deficient or insuffiecient of Vitamin D levels in their blood. This may be because they spend more time in indoor instead of some outdoor activity. Application of sunblocks, and intake of diet which is insuffiecient in vitamin D enriched foods.
As a clinical Nutritionist, my message to all women out there to get yours self-checked by medical specialist for early diagnosis of breast cancer. Self-examination is very important if you ever find lump or pain in your breast. Also check levels of serum vitamin D and calcium in your body after every 6 months. Correct your food intake rich in fat soluble vitamins. Take your Vitamin D and calcium supplements as prescribed by physian. If your levels are below normal then consult with nutritionist or dietitian. Spend atleast 30 mints in outdoor with bare skin so that sunrays can penetrate through the skin.The best time to get sufficient amount of vitamin D is from 7am to 11am and at the time when sun is about to sets. Do not ignore any symptom of this disease. Early diagnosis leads to early recovery from the disease.
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