India, May 1 -- A new study from Brazil suggests that the "sunshine vitamin" could play a powerful role in improving breast cancer treatment. Researchers at São Paulo State University found that women who received daily vitamin D supplements alongside chemotherapy were far more likely to see their tumors disappear compared to those given a placebo.
The trial involved 80 women over the age 45, all undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy- treatment given before surgery to shrink tumors. Half of the participants received 2,000 IU of vitamin D each day, while the other half received a placebo. After six months, 43 percent of the women taking vitamin D had no detectable cancer, compared to just 24 percent in the placebo group.
The researchers...