Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Short Communication
  • Published:

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and mammographic density among premenopausal women in a multiethnic population

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 64, pages 652–654 (2010)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Although some evidence suggests a protective role of vitamin D against breast cancer, epidemiological findings are inconsistent. The current study investigated the relation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels with mammographic density. Baseline serum samples from 182 premenopausal women including 67 Caucasians and 74 Asians from a nutritional trial were analyzed for 25(OH)D. Mammographic density was assessed using a computer-assisted method. Serum 25(OH)D was not associated with mammographic density after adjustment for confounders (body mass index (BMI), age at mammogram, Asian ethnicity, age at first birth, parity and age at menarche). 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower in Asians than in Caucasians, but no significant ethnic differences in mammographic density were observed after adjusting for BMI. Although the current results indicate that serum 25(OH)D levels were not associated with mammographic density among premenopausal women, a possible protective effect of vitamin D against breast cancer may be mediated through other pathways.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bérubé S, Diorio C, Masse B, Hebert-Croteau N, Byrne C, Cote G et al. (2005). Vitamin D and calcium intakes from food or supplements and mammographic breast density. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 14, 1653–1659.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bérubé S, Diorio C, Verhoek-Oftedahl W, Brisson J (2004). Vitamin D, calcium, and mammographic breast densities. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 13, 1466–1472.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boyd NF, Lockwood GA, Byng JW, Tritchler DL, Yaffe MJ (1998). Mammographic densities and breast cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 7, 1133–1144.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brisson J, Berube S, Diorio C, Sinotte M, Pollak M, Masse B (2007). Synchronized seasonal variations of mammographic breast density and plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin d. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 16, 929–933.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Byng JW, Boyd NF, Fishell E, Jong RA, Yaffe MJ (1994). The quantitative analysis of mammographic densities. Phys Med Biol 39, 1629–1638.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cui Y, Rohan TE (2006). Vitamin D, calcium, and breast cancer risk: a review. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 15, 1427–1437.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Knight JA, Vachon CM, Vierkant RA, Vieth R, Cerhan JR, Sellers TA (2006). No association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and mammographic density. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 15, 1988–1992.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lowe L, Hansen CM, Senaratne S, Colston KW (2003). Mechanisms implicated in the growth regulatory effects of vitamin D compounds in breast cancer cells. Recent results. Cancer Res 164, 99–110.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maskarinec G, Takata Y, Franke AA, Williams AE, Murphy SP (2004). A 2-year soy intervention in premenopausal women does not change mammographic densities. J Nutr 134, 3089–3094.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mishra G, McCormack V, Kuh D, Hardy R, Stephen A, dos Santos Silva I (2008). Dietary calcium and vitamin D intakes in childhood and throughout adulthood and mammographic density in a British birth cohort. Br J Cancer 99, 1539–1543.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health grants R03CA130061 and S10RR020890. The original study was supported by NCI grant R01CA80843.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA

    W Chai, G Maskarinec & R V Cooney

Authors
  1. W Chai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. G Maskarinec
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R V Cooney
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to W Chai.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chai, W., Maskarinec, G. & Cooney, R. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and mammographic density among premenopausal women in a multiethnic population. Eur J Clin Nutr 64, 652–654 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2010.36

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2010.36

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links