Assessing vitamin D and mammographic breast density in Alaskan women

Vitamin D deficiency and high breast density may be associated with increased breast cancer risk. We examined a possible association between vitamin D levels and mammographic breast density in a population of Alaskan women. Patients seen in the Mayo Clinic-Alaska Native Medical Center telemedicine program from December 2014 to December 2017 were enrolled in the study. Pearson correlation was used to estimate the association between mammographic breast density and vitamin D levels. Of the 33 women enrolled, 70% of women self-identified as American Indian/Alaskan Native, 12% as White, 6% as Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and 12% as other. Nineteen (58%) participants were taking vitamin D supplementation. No correlation was identified between breast density and serum vitamin D levels overall (correlation= –0.03). Larger studies controlling for vitamin supplementation are needed, as this association could potentially impact breast cancer rates in populations at risk for vitamin D deficiency.