title: Mammographic density and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitamin D, which influences cellular proliferation and breast tissue characteristics, has been inversely correlated with breast cancer risk. Dietary vitamin D intake has been associated with lower mammographic density (MD), a strong intermediate marker of breast cancer risk.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We examined the relationship between MD and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], an integrated measure of vitamin D status from dietary sources and sunlight exposure, in a multi-ethnic cohort of women undergoing screening mammography. We recruited women age 40-60 years without a history of breast cancer at the time of their routine screening mammogram, and conducted in-person interviews and collected blood specimens. We enrolled 195 women from 2007-2008, 120 gave blood, and 114 were evaluable, including 25% white, 41% African American, 18% African Caribbean, and 16% Hispanic. We digitized mammograms and calculated percent density, dense area, and non-dense area on cranial-caudal images. We measured serum 25(OH)D in batched, archived specimens. Median serum 25(OH)D was 22 ng/ml (range, 8-66 ng/ml). In univariable analysis, higher serum 25(OH)D was associated with white race, higher educational level, ever breast feeding, and blood draw during the summer. After adjusting for body mass index and other confounders, we found no association between serum 25(OH)D and different measures of MD. However, when stratified by season, 25(OH)D was inversely associated with dense area during July-December (p = 0.034).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, our findings suggest that circulating vitamin D, a potentially modifiable breast cancer risk factor, is not associated with MD; the seasonal effects we observed need to be replicated in larger cohorts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA ; Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA ; The Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University, 161 Fort Washington Ave, 10-1072, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Crew
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.affiliation: Othmer Cancer Center, Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Loralee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fulton
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Julie D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Flom
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Yuyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA ; The Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University, 161 Fort Washington Ave, 10-1072, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Parisa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tehranifar
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA ; The Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University, 161 Fort Washington Ave, 10-1072, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Mary Beth
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Terry
keywords: 25-hydroxyvitamin D; Breast cancer; Mammographic density; Vitamin D
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