Vitamin D Levels May Predict Response To Bisphosphonates.

MedPage Today (9/21, Walsh) reports that according to research presented at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research conference, “women whose mean level of serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D…was at least 33 ng/mL were almost five times more likely to benefit from bisphosphonates than those whose levels fell below that cutoff,” and that “for each 1 ng/mL decrease in 25(OH)D level, there was a 5% decrease in likelihood ofresponding to treatment.” Researchers noted, “This level [33 ng/mL] is higher than that recommended by the Institute of Medicine as adequate for the general population, and many patients have levels well below this, so vitamin D supplementation may need to be higher for this therapeutic outcome.”

Vitamin D Alone May Not Increase BMD.MedWire (9/21, McIvor) reports a study published in Osteoporosis International in which “the effects of high-dose vitamin D (6500 IU vitamin D3/day)” was compared against “the standard dose (800 IU vitamin D3/day) on BMD of the total hip and lumbar spine over one year.” At the end of the year, researchers found “substantial increases in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were achieved in both groups,” but did not find “no significant difference in BMD between the high and standard doses after one year, with neither groups experiencing a significant change over the year.” The study authors also found “that the high-dose treatment was less efficient in reducing bone turnover than the standard dose.”