Natural vitamin D levels — levels achieved by outdoor workers — are not only linked to lower breast cancer incidence rates, but also appear to be connected to better survival chances for those who get breast cancer, according to a new study.

And the study’s authors believe there is a mechanism identified to explain the connection.

“Our own observations, indicating that low 25(OH)D levels correlate with larger breast tumors, clearly point toward a role of vitamin D in breast tumor biology. In particular, vitamin D could be involved in local growth-inhibitory effects in the microenvironment of the breast tumor,” the investigators wrote.

That conclusion is shared by most vitamin D researchers, who point to the presence of vitamin D receptors in cancer cells which use the sunshine vitamin to program the cell’s death before it can spread.

The study appears in the most recent issue of the journal Carcinogenesis (2012;33:1319-1326, PMID: 22623648).

To read coverage of the study click here.

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