The Link between Vitamins A and D and Breast Cancer

The Missing Link

Scientists have known the importance of vitamin D as a preventative measure against cancer for years. Specifically, the primary hormone in vitamin D known as calcitriol has been proven to induce death in cancer cells, and a variety of research done since the 1970s has found significant evidence that vitamin D has fairly progressive preventative effects against many forms of cancer, but considering humanity has begun to evolve in the direction where we work primarily indoors, lather sunscreen on our skins prior to exposure to direct sunlight, and wear more and more clothing to prevent the occurrence of a sunburn, it is little wonder that cancer rates continue to increase. In fact, a pair of studies presented by the American Association for Cancer Research in 2006 showed that women who obtain sufficient amounts of vitamin D are less likely to develop breast cancer, with evidence that the sunshine vitamin is the primary factor.

The first study showed that higher levels of vitamin D translated to a 50% lower risk of breast cancer, with even moderate levels showing a 10% reduced risk, and the research group stated that the study showed how more than 20,000 cases of cancer per year could be completely avoided if women simply spent more time in the sun. In addition, Canadian researchers performed a second study and found that women who spent a majority of their time outdoors, or consumed higher levels of vitamin D through their diet or supplements, were 25% to 45% less likely to develop breast cancer as compared to a control group.

The body manufactures vitamin D as a direct result of exposure to sunlight, but because sun exposure is so controversial due to the supposed risks of skin cancer, many shun the sun. This is unfortunate, because breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women across the nation, and a 50% reduction is significant enough to be considered jaw-dropping in scope.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A, on the other hand, has been proven over the years to have wide variety of beneficial side effects in the body, ranging from improving our vision, helping with the transcription of genes, boosting our immune function, assisting in embryonic development and reproduction, helping our bones metabolize, helping our haematopoiesis, boosting our antioxidant levels, and increasing our overall skin health..

In a study performed by the University of Chicago, published in the journal Cell, research showed how vitamin A can actually normalize cell growth and inhibit future growth of cancerous cells. According to the American Cancer Society, estrogen is part of what fuels the growth of two out of three breast cancers that women suffer from because it alters certain genes, opening the door to certain types of breast cells becoming malignant and proliferating. What the research showed was that the retonic acid in vitamin A can actually alter these same genes and inhibit their growth. According to Myles Brown, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in a statement to the press, “This work reveals important insights on the interplay between vitamin A and estrogen activity. These insights will hopefully lead to new approaches for the prevention and treatment of the most common forms of breast cancer.”

Since retinoic acid had already demonstrated such cancer fighting potential in previous studies, and is actually currently used to treat certain forms of leukemia, new studies have been undertaken as well. For example Kevin White, Professor of Human Genetics and Director of the Institute for Genomics and System Biology at the University of Chicago, undertook a study with several colleagues to document the cell receptors for the vitamin A derivative using a process called ChIP, which in laymen’s terms locates where the receptors are bound to the genome and measures the expression levels of the genes themselves. This new technique has allowed scientists to track the complete genetic effects of this vitamin A derivative, and the results showed that 39% of the genomic regions bound by estrogen overlapped with those bound by retinoic acid. What that boils down to is that scientists now have evidence that estrogen and retinoic acids actually have a type of “cross talk” which means that they normalize each other, allowing scientists to effectively control the growth of the disease. While the research is not conclusive, after performing a test on 295 breast cancer patients, the results showed that the more strongly a tumor responded to retinoic acid, the greater the chances a woman had of long-term survival, not to mention lack of relapse.

The Combination

The combination of these two super vitamins is fairly significant. Since vitamin D has been known for years to actually stop cancer cells from growing, and in some cases kills them off entirely, and vitamin A is just now proving that it has cancer-stopping side effects as well, the conclusion is fairly staggering in scope. If scientists are able to somehow meld the two cancer-fighting aspects of these vitamins together, the potential exists for completely stopping or curing breast cancer.

According to Dr. White, “Understanding all the components of this process could be used against breast cancer in three ways. It suggests new ways to think about preventing the disease in those at high risk. It offers molecular tools that could provide a more precise diagnosis and predict outcomes. It could also be used to enhance current therapies, making existing drugs…even more powerful”.

While the evidence itself is not conclusive by any means, it is a step in the right direction that has scientists worldwide fairly excited about the prospects.

Your pathway to ultra wellness: UltraFitnessDynamics