Breast Cancer PREVENTION Month is launched for October 2012 to enroll 1000 women aged 60 and over to take action now with vitamin D.
ENCINITAS, CA, October 3, 2012 — GrassrootsHealth’ focus is on prevention of breast cancer, not early detection. “Our aim is to engage women in the primary prevention of breast cancer by getting their vitamin D serum levels tested and then getting that level to the 40-60 ng/ml (100-150 nmol/L) range,” says Carole Baggerly, director of GrassrootsHealth.
According to Dr. Cedric F. Garland of the Moores Cancer Center and the UCSD School of Medicine:
“This will potentially be the most important action ever conducted toward prevention of breast cancer. The more women who participate in this study, the greater the chance that we will defeat breast cancer within our lifetimes.”
Women across the world are invited to enroll in a 5-year Breast Cancer Prevention Study initiated by GrassrootsHealth. To be eligible to enroll, women must be at least 60 years of age and have no current cancer. A free vitamin D home test kit will be provided for the first 1000 women to enroll. The study aims to fully demonstrate health outcomes of vitamin D serum levels in the range of 40-60 ng/ml (100-150 nmol/L) and will examine the occurrence of breast cancer among a population of women 60 and over who achieve and maintain a targeted vitamin D serum level in the bloodstream. In addition to breast cancer prevention, short-term effects of vitamin D such as hypertension, falls, colds and flu will also be tracked. More information can be found at http://www.grassrootshealth.net.
Funding for this enrollment is being actively solicited by GrassrootsHealth. Participants as well as other sponsors are encouraged to make a donation of at least $75 to help cover the costs of this step in the project. The total funding goal for this cycle is $150,000. Everyone can donate at http://www.razoo.com/story/Prevent-Breast-Cancer.
“We are expecting to find individuals and organizations who can help us meet our target of $300,000 per year. This will cover the participation of 1000 women for two vitamin D screenings per year and the analysis of the information. We have been funded entirely by private individuals and private organizations. Currently, both Bio-Tech Pharmacal and the Vitamin D Society are helping fund D*action Community Breast Cancer Prevention Projects in Northwest Arkansas and Canada respectively.
There is a large group of people who are ready for action to prevent breast cancer. We sincerely hope that those people will help by donating directly to this effort to demonstrate how we can do primary prevention, not early detection. I’ve had breast cancer. I don’t want anyone else to get it!” says Carole Baggerly, director of GrassrootsHealth.
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For more information, please contact Jen Aliano, Communications Director, at jen at grassrootshealth.org.