Vitamin D and risk of breast and prostate cancer in the NHANES I follow-up study

Vitamin D and risk of breast and prostate cancer in the NHANES I follow-up study

Vitamin D from sun exposure and diet has been proposed to reduce the risk of developing of breast and prostate cancer. We tested this hypothesis, analyzing data from the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I) Epidemiologic Follow-up Study initiated in 1971-1974, with follow-up up to 1992. Restricting the analyses to whites, cancer occurrence was examined in about 5,000 women and 3,414 men. A total of 190 women developed breast cancer and 153 men developed prostate cancer during the follow-up time period. We examined several measures of sun exposure (i.e., usual sun exposure, sun-induced skin damage, residential sun exposure), and dietary vitamin D intake and found that several of these measures were associated with lower risks of breast and prostate cancer.

Principal Investigator: Esther M. John, Ph.D.

Co-investigator: Gary G. Schwartz, Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Funding: US Army Medical Research Program (DAMD 17-94-J-4105); NCCC Fashion Times II Breast Cancer Fund

Publications
John EM, Schwartz GG, Dreon DM, Koo J. Vitamin D and breast cancer risk: The NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study, 1971-1975 to 1992. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1999;8:399-406.

John EM, Dreon DM, Koo J, Schwartz GG. Residential sunlight exposure is associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2004;89-90:549-52.

John EM, Koo J, Schwartz GG. Sun exposure and prostate cancer risk: Evidence for a protective effect of early life exposure. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16: 1283-1286.