vitamin D supplementation prevents AI-treatment related bone loss

[Lani]

Vitamin D Supplementation Prevents Breast Cancer Therapy-Related Bone Loss
Elsevier Global Medical News. 2011 Jul 5, R Hyer

CHICAGO (EGMN) - The bone loss associated with aromatase inhibitors was significantly slowed with increasing supplements of vitamin D in a prospective cohort study of 156 postmenopausal women.

"The bone loss was less, the higher your vitamin D level was maintained," said session chair Dr. Thomas J. Smith of Massey Cancer Center of Virginia Commonwealth University. "This is one of the first intervention studies," he said. "And the results are pretty striking."

Dr. Sonia Servitja of Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, and colleagues, assessed the association between 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations and bone loss at baseline, after 3 months of supplementation, and after 1 year, in patients receiving aromatase inhibitor therapy for early-stage breast cancer.

The 156 women in the prospective cohort had hormone-positive breast cancer and had initiated aromatase inhibitors from January 2006 to June 2009.

All patients received daily oral calcium (1 g) and vitamin D3 (800 IU). Patients with a baseline level of 25(OH)D less than 30 ng/mL received additional oral vitamin D3. The women were a mean age of 62 years with a mean age of menopause onset of 50 years.

The magnitude of the bone-loss prevention correlated with incremental increases in 25(OH)D concentrations.

Each 10-ng/mL increase in 25(OH)D concentration at 3 months appeared to be associated with a 0.55% decrease in bone loss, which was almost a third of the average bone loss experienced by these patients, according to the study findings, presented as a poster at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation at doses higher than the standard of 400 to 800 IU/day might be useful to minimize bone loss in women starting out on aromatase inhibitors and who are not eligible for bisphosphonate therapy according to current guidelines.

Patients who achieved 25(OH)D concentrations greater than or equal to 40 ng/mL at 3 months experienced significantly reduced bone loss. In addition, 25(OH)D increases at 3 months were protective for relative bone loss (adjusted beta for each quintile 1.01%, P value less than .001).

[Laurel]

Very cool news!

[R.B.]

Thanks for sharing

Fascinating

[Becky]

This is exactly what happened to me and I reversed my osteopenia completely. Zometa only made things not get worse, then I began intense Vitamin D3 therapy (got to 46-49 readings) and my bones improved - so much so that they are in the normal range - no more osteopenia. My onc has never seen this happen before, ever. He was blown away. Its all the vitamin D.

Hope all the other great things vitamin D does for you is happening too.

[dberg]

Becky,
You and I have been in this game for about 7 years now. Summer 2004 for me.

I'm on Zometa every 6 months. I've probably had 5 infusion by now and my last one was just like the first...all flu-like, even though I slowed the infusion time, took tylenol, etc. I want to get rid of this osteopenia, not to mention that my periodontist dad is livid that I'm even on Zometa!

My new onc was aghast that I was supplementing 2000iu daily to raise my vit D levels. I did this on my own after research. How much did you take and what advice did you receive?

[Rich66]

Just want to add research suggests taking D with a good sized meal drastically increases its absorption.Taking it with a large breakfast makes sense for multiple reasons. (anecdotally: weekly Zometa and 5,000 iu/day Vit D seems to have negated mom's painful neck/spine met)

[pibikay]

Interesting news.Thanks Lani