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Vitamin D Improves Response to Osteoporosis Drugs

Osteoporosis drugs like Actonel, Boniva, Fosamax and Reclast are prescribed to strengthen bones. They may not work as well as expected, however, if vitamin D levels are low. A study of 160 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis measured their vitamin D status before they started taking the medications. Those whose 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were between 20 and 30 ng/ml were much less likely to respond favorably to the drugs than those with higher levels.
Although 20 ng/ml is considered an adequate level by federal authorities, almost 80 percent of the women whose vitamin D fell within this range did not benefit from the osteoporosis drugs. Women with higher levels of vitamin D circulating in their bodies were far more likely to respond well to such medications. The bottom line appears to be that optimizing vitamin D levels before treatment with an osteoporosis drug is the most successful strategy for stronger bones.
[Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting]

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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