Vitamin D Prevents Hip Fracture and Breast Cancer

by Jeffrey Dach MD

Hip Fractures Prevented

In a recent medical study by Cauley in the August 2008 Annals of Internal Medicine, low Vitamin D was found to be associated with increased rate of hip fracture.

Left Image Hip Fracture Courtesy of Wikimedia

The study measured vitamin D levels in 400 patients with incident hip fracture and 400 post – menopausal women followed over 7 years.

Not only did the fracture group have an average lower vitamin D level, a lower vitamin D level was associated with 70% increased fracture risk.

Dr. Cauley and her co-authors reported potential conflicts of interest with Novartis, Eli Lilly, Merck, Roche Diagnostics, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Amgen, GlaxoSmithKline, Zelos, sanofi-aventis, General Electric, Pfizer, MicroMRI, and Abbott.

Breast Cancer Prevented

Another recent study by Dr. Nancy Davidson from Johns Hopkins University presented at a medical meeting and not yet published showed that low vitamin D levels was associated with increased rate of breast cancer recurrence after surgical treatment.

Left Image Surgical procedure 1922 courtesy of wikimedia

Low Vitamin D Associated with Increased Mortality

A recent study by Melamed published in the August Archives of Internal Medicine showed that low vitamin D (below 17.8 ng/nl) was associated with a 26% increase in mortality from any cause.

These are only three of the many medical studies showing the importance of vitamin D in preventing many diseases.  Low vitamin D is associated with increased risk for multiple sclerosis, cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.

Excellent 2008 Review Article

For an excellent 2008 review article: Diagnosis and Treatment Vitamin D Deficiency by Cannell Hollis Heaney 2008  inExpertOpin.Pharmacother. (2008) 9(1):1-12.

Our Program to Prevent Hip Fracture and Breast Cancer

In addition to Vitamin D, bioidentical hormone replacement after menopause is the most effective treatment to maintain strong bones and muscles, and excellent for preventing hip fractures.

Our most useful supplement for breast cancer prevention is Iodine.  We use Iodoral for breast cancer prevention.

Articles with related interest:

Vitamin D Deficiency by Jeffrey Dach MD

Stop Vitamin D, Are You Joking

Vitamin D Prevents Flu

Vitamin D for Multiple Sclerosis 

Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Vitamin D

Jeffrey Dach MD
7450 Griffin Road Suite 190
Davie, Florida 33314
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http://www.drdach.com/
http://www.naturalmedicine101.com/
http://www.truemedmd.com/
http://www.bioidenticalhormones101.com/

Links and References

1) http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/149/4/242
Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations and Risk for Hip Fractures   by  Jane A. Cauley, DrPH; Andrea Z. LaCroix, PhD; LieLing Wu, MS; Mara Horwitz, MD; Michelle E. Danielson, PhD; Doug C. Bauer, MD; Jennifer S. Lee, MD; Rebecca D. Jackson, MD; John A. Robbins, MD; Chunyuan Wu, MS; Frank Z. Stanczyk, PhD; Meryl S. LeBoff, MD; Jean Wactawski-Wende, PhD; Gloria Sarto, MD; Judith Ockene, PhD; and Steven R. Cummings, MD

Annals Internal Medicine  19 August 2008 | Volume 149 Issue 4 | Pages 242-250

Background: The relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH) vitamin D] concentration and hip fractures is unclear.

Objective: To see whether low serum 25(OH) vitamin D concentrations are associated with hip fractures in community-dwelling women.  Design: Nested case–control study. Setting: 40 clinical centers in the United States.  Participants: 400 case-patients with incident hip fracture and 400 control participants matched on the basis of age, race or ethnicity, and date of blood draw. Both groups were selected from 39 795 postmenopausal women who were not using estrogens or other bone-active therapies and who had not had a previous hip fracture.  Measurements: Serum 25(OH) vitamin D was measured and patients were followed for a median of 7.1 years (range, 0.7 to 9.3 years) to assess fractures.

Results: Mean serum 25(OH) vitamin D concentrations were lower in case-patients than in control participants (55.95 nmol/L [SD, 20.28] vs. 59.60 nmol/L [SD, 18.05]; P = 0.007), and lower serum 25(OH) vitamin D concentrations increased hip fracture risk (adjusted odds ratio for each 25-nmol/L decrease, 1.33 [95% CI, 1.06 to 1.68]).

Women with the lowest 25(OH) vitamin D concentrations (47.5 nmol/L) had a higher fracture risk than did those with the highest concentrations (70.7 nmol/L) (adjusted odds ratio, 1.71 [CI, 1.05 to 2.79]), and the risk increased statistically significantly across quartiles of serum 25(OH) vitamin D concentration (P for trend = 0.016). This association was independent of number of falls, physical function, frailty, renal function, and sex-steroid hormone levels and seemed to be partially mediated by bone resorption.

Conclusion: Low serum 25(OH) vitamin D concentrations are associated with a higher risk for hip fracture.

2) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/16/AR2008051601472.html
Low Levels of Vitamin D Spell Trouble for Breast Cancer Patients

3) http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-05-15-vitaminD-cancer_N.htm?csp=34
Low Vitamin D linked to breast cancer

4) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24654464/
Vitamin D may benefit breast cancer patients.  Those with lower levels more likely to die of the disease, study found

Only 24 percent of women in the study had sufficient blood levels of D at the time they were first diagnosed with breast cancer. Those who were deficient were nearly twice as likely to have their cancer recur or spread over the next 10 years, and 73 percent more likely to die of the disease.

Dr. Nancy Davidson, a Johns Hopkins University cancer specialist who is president of the oncology society, said those tests are growing in popularity, even in ordinary medical care.

5) http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/168/15/1629
25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and the Risk of Mortality in the General Population
Michal L. Melamed, MD, MHS; Erin D. Michos, MD, MHS; Wendy Post, MD, MS; Brad Astor, PhD. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(15):1629-1637

Results  In cross-sectional multivariate analyses, increasingage, female sex, nonwhite race/ethnicity, diabetes, currentsmoking, and higher body mass index were all independently associatedwith higher odds of 25(OH)D deficiency (lowest quartile of 25(OH)Dlevel, <17.8 ng/mL [to convert to nanomoles per liter, multiplyby 2.496]), while greater physical activity, vitamin D supplementation,and nonwinter season were inversely associated. During a median8.7 years of follow-up, there were 1806 deaths, including 777from CVD. In multivariate models (adjusted for baseline demographics,season, and traditional and novel CVD risk factors), compared with the highest quartile, being in the lowest quartile (25[OH]Dlevels <17.8 ng/mL) was associated with a 26% increased rate of all-cause mortality (mortality rate ratio, 1.26; 95% CI,1.08-1.46) and a population attributable risk of 3.1%. The adjustedmodels of CVD and cancer mortality revealed a higher risk, whichwas not statistically significant.

Conclusion  The lowest quartile of 25(OH)D level (<17.8ng/mL) is independently associated with all-cause mortality in the general population.

6) http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/PDFs/diagnosis-vitdd.pdf
Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency
JJ Cannell, BW Hollis, M Zasloff & RP Heaney. Expert Opin.
Pharmacother. (2008) 9(1):1-12

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