According to Harvard Medical School's "Harvard Health Publications," about 50 percent of women over age 50 and 10 percent of younger women develop breast calcifications. As a woman newly diagnosed with breast calcifications, you may question whether your diet played a part in the development of these deposits.
Calcium
In her book "Vitamins, Minerals & More," Dr. Pamela Wartian Smith states that calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body. Your body absorbs calcium in food or supplements through your small intestine and into your blood. The mineral eventually combines with phosphorous to help to create crystal-like substances that form the foundation for strong bones and teeth. Smith notes that 99 percent of your body's calcium is stored in your skeleton. The remainder of calcium is essential in regulating normal heartbeat, blood clotting and nerve and muscle function.
Calcification Definition
Breast calcifications are tiny deposits of calcium. They appear so small that only mammograms can detect them. Commonly formed in the soft tissue of the breast, they can also develop in the lobules, the glandular tissue where milk is produced, and in the ducts that carry milk to the nipples.
Types of Calcifications
Two types of calcifications may appear on a routine mammogram. Macrocalcifications are almost always benign or noncancerous. They may show up as large, round white spots or dashes. Microcalcifications, usually noncancerous but more suspicious, may appear on a mammogram as tiny white dots that look similar to grains of salt. If calcifications look abnormal, additional mammographies and further testing may be needed.
Causes of Calcifications
Although calcifications sometimes do occur in conjunction with breast cancer, "Harvard Health Publications" reports that the vast majority turn out to be benign. In fact, according to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure website, 20 percent to 25 percent of suspicious calcifications are diagnosed as cancerous. The Mayo Clinic reports that calcifications often form in response to previous injury, such as surgery, radiation therapy or infection. Even seat belt trauma after an automobile accident may cause calcification.
Diet
A long list of medical experts agrees that diet plays no role in the risk of developing breast calcifications. California Pacific Medical Center and medical advisers for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure website report that no known link exists between calcium intake in the diet and breast calcifications. "Harvard Health Publications" agrees, adding, "Calcium intake through diet and supplements is not associated with benign breast calcifications. Moreover, a 2009 study of more than 60,000 Swedish women found that greater calcium intake did not raise the risk of breast cancer."
References
- Harvard Health Publications: Calcium beyond the bones
- California Pacific Medical Center: Breast Calcifications
- Mayo Clinic: Breast Calcifications
- Komen: Breast Calcifications
- "Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & More"; Pamela Wartian Smith, M.D.; 2008
