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Meta-Analysis
. 2014 May 27;110(11):2772-84.
doi: 10.1038/bjc.2014.175. Epub 2014 Apr 8.

Vitamin D intake, blood 25(OH)D levels, and breast cancer risk or mortality: a meta-analysis

Y Kim  1 , Y Je  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Vitamin D intake, blood 25(OH)D levels, and breast cancer risk or mortality: a meta-analysis

Y Kim et al. Br J Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: Experimental studies suggest potential anti-carcinogenic properties of vitamin D against breast cancer risk, but the epidemiological evidence to date is inconsistent.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE databases along with a hand search for eligible studies to examine the association between vitamin D status (based on diet and blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D)) and breast cancer risk or mortality in a meta-analysis. A random-effect model was used to calculate a pooled adjusted relative risk (RR).

Results: A total of 30 prospective studies (nested case-control or cohort) were included for breast cancer incidence (n=24 studies; 31 867 cases) or mortality (n=6 studies; 870 deaths) among 6092 breast cancer patients. The pooled RRs of breast cancer incidence for the highest vs the lowest vitamin D intake and blood 25(OH)D levels were 0.95 (95% CI: 0.88-1.01) and 0.92 (95% CI: 0.83-1.02), respectively. Among breast cancer patients, high blood 25(OH)D levels were significantly associated with lower breast cancer mortality (pooled RR=0.58, 95% CI: 0.40-0.85) and overall mortality (pooled RR=0.61, 95% CI: 0.48-0.79). There was no evidence of heterogeneity and publication bias.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that high vitamin D status is weakly associated with low breast cancer risk but strongly associated with better breast cancer survival.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of selection of the studies for inclusion in meta-analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of meta-analysis of breast cancer risk in relation to vitamin D intake. Individual studies represented by relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of meta-analysis of breast cancer risk in relation to blood 25(OH)D levels. Individual studies represented by relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot of meta-analysis of breast cancer mortality in relation to blood 25(OH)D levels among breast cancer patients. Individual studies represented by relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot of meta-analysis of overall mortality in relation to blood 25(OH)D levels among breast cancer patients. Individual studies represented by relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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