Breast Cancer Prevention
Folic Acid
For women who drink alcohol, folic acid may reduce breast cancer risk by reversing the damaging effect alcohol has on DNA.Dose:
400 mcg dailyFolic AcidAmong women who drink alcohol, those who consume relatively high amounts of folate from their diet have been reported to be at reduced risk of breast cancer, compared with women who drink alcohol but consumed less folate, according to a preliminary study.1 In a similar report, consumption of folic acid-containing supplements was associated with a lower risk of breast cancer in women who drank alcohol, compared with women who drank alcohol but did not take such supplements.2
The damaging effect alcohol has on DNA—the material responsible for normal replication of cells—is partially reversed by folic acid. Therefore, a potential association between both dietary folate and folic acid supplements and protection against breast cancer in women who drink alcohol is consistent with our understanding of the biochemical effects of these substances. A combined intake from food and supplements of at least 600 mcg per day was associated with a 43% reduced risk of breast cancer in women who consumed 1.5 drinks per day or more, compared with women who drank the same amount but did not take folic acid-containing supplements.2
Conjugated Linoleic Acid
Preliminary research suggests that CLA might reduce breast cancer risk.Dose:
Refer to label instructionsConjugated Linoleic AcidPreliminary animal and test tube research suggests that CLA might reduce the risk of cancers at several sites, including breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, skin, and stomach.3,4,5,6 Whether CLA will have a similar protective effect for people has yet to be demonstrated in human research.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D from supplements and from exposure to the sun both appear to protect against breast cancer.Dose:
Refer to label instructionsVitamin DBreast cancer rates have been reported to be relatively high in areas of low exposure to sunlight.7 Sunlight triggers the formation of vitamin D in the skin, which can be activated in the liver and kidneys into a hormone with great activity. This activated form of vitamin D causes “cellular differentiation”—essentially the opposite of cancer.
The following evidence indicates that vitamin D might have a protective role against breast cancer:
- Synthetic vitamin D-like molecules have prevented the equivalent of breast cancer in animals.8
- Activated vitamin D appears to have antiestrogenic activity.9
- Both sunlight and dietary exposure to vitamin D have correlated with a reduced risk of breast cancer.10,11
Activated vitamin D comes in several forms. One of them—1,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol—is an exact duplicate of the hormone made in the human body.
The following preliminary, non-clinical evidence supports the idea that activated vitamin D may be of help to some breast cancer patients:
- In combination with tamoxifen, a synthetic, activated-vitamin D-like molecule has inhibited the growth of breast cancer cells in test tube research.12
- Synthetic vitamin D-like molecules induce tumor cell death in breast cancer cells.13
- Activated vitamin D suppresses the growth of human cancer cells transplanted into animals.14
- In test tube research, activated vitamin D has increased the anticancer action of chemotherapy.15
In a preliminary trial, activated vitamin D was applied topically to the breast, once per day for six weeks, in 19 patients with breast cancer.16 Of the 14 patients who completed the trial, three showed a large reduction in tumor size, and one showed a minor improvement. Those who responded had tumors that contained receptors for activated vitamin D. However, other preliminary reports have not found that high levels of these receptors consistently correlate with a better outcome.17,18,19
With a doctor’s prescription, compounding pharmacists can put activated vitamin D, a hormone, into a topical ointment. Due to potential toxicity, use of this hormone, even topically, requires careful monitoring by a physician. Standard vitamin D supplements are unlikely to duplicate the effects of activated vitamin D in women with breast cancer. The patients in the breast cancer trial all had locally advanced disease.