Vitamin D3

[PCaWarrior]

Poor results but lots of caveats, as usual.

Vitamin D3 Supplementation for Low-Risk Prostate Cancer: A Randomized Trial (VD3PCa)

clinicaltrials.gov/study/NC...

[cujoe]

PCaW - Correlation of low Vit D is common to many, many medical conditions. I say, get it checked and supplement to keep it in the upper 1/3 of normal range. All upside and no downside that I am aware of - esp, for those of us who qualify as "older".

Vitamin D in the older population: a consensus statement, Springer Nature, Endocrine, 2022 Oct 26;79(1):31–44

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articl...

Stay S&W,

Ciao - cujoe

[PCaWarrior in reply to cujoe]

Agree. This trial was disappointing. I post the good and bad. Invites discussion like this. If you take D3, take K2. Most evidence is around MK-7 quinone but there is some around MK-4. I found a supplement with both in the amounts I wanted.

Important to realize that there is a bathtub curve re D3 levels. More can be just as harmful as less.

GREAT REFERENCE!!! It doesn't qualify me as older. I still have a few years to go!

vitamin d

[cujoe in reply to PCaWarrior]

Hey, Warrior friend, Good to see you back contributing your vast knowledge here!

I first got clued into the import of the various dietary components needed for good bone health from our old departed (i.e.,deleted) friend, Nalakrats. Based on research of his clues, I would suggest the addition of magnesium (~ 50 % of daily Ca), boron, and potassium (in addition to adequate D3 and Mk7) are essential nutrients for good bone health. And most knowledgeable people would recommend that anyone with PCa should try to keep their Ca intake UNDER the RDA, esp. if one is supplementing with Ca above that derived from diet. And for those on ADT, the absence of E2 (derived from T) makes the dietary issues more important for bone health.

[PCaWarrior in reply to cujoe]

Hi, thanks. I supplement with D3 (and a little D2), a modest amount of K2 (MK-4 and MK-7 quinones), magnesium, some potassium, and a large amount of sodium, I prefer to get most of my nutrients through food but that isn't always possible.

My sodium runs low and I do not know why. Any ideas? Low sodium is correlated with worse cancer survival. I don't have any of the classic issues other than perhaps I drink to much water some days.

If I do ADT for more than a few weeks I add a tE2 patch. My bone health has improved a lot since I was diagnosed.

[cujoe in reply to PCaWarrior]

I guessed that you would be on top of the nutritional contributors to bone health. (Altho' we have yet to mention the import of resistance training/heavy lifting for preserving bone density.once the nutritional support is in place to do so.)

No clue on a reason for low sodium (obviously, you're not likely eating canned soup daily), but if you are not flushing it out via excess hydration (or over-consumption of diuretics), might the cause possibly be related to your BAT cycling, i.e., does serum Na fluctuate on the low-high T ends, or does it remain about the same throughout the entire cycle? As a test, you could also try some high-quality daily hydration powders for a week or so prior to your next labs to see if that gives your Na a boost back into the normal range.

Stay S&W

[PCaWarrior in reply to cujoe]

Interesting possibility. Thanks! I'll track sodium vs. BAT. Maybe there is some correlation.

Low sodium can be extremely dangerous. I stopped supplementing sodium and electrolytes a year ago and I would up in the ER with critically low sodium levels. The nephrologist told me that I was minutes away from seizures, coma, and possibly death. He seemed to think I was exercising too much and drinking too much water.

Yeah, no canned soup.

[cujoe in reply to PCaWarrior]

Apparently low sodium can also be related to adrenal fatigue/insufficiency, thus my suggestion for a possible connection to T fluctuations/hormone imbalances and PCa meds related to BAT cycle. Just a lay shot it the dark, but a quick read does indicate how serious hyponatremia can be. Definitely an issue to try to "solve". Stay after it, Bro' - and Be/Stay Well while you do.

[Maxone73]

I have been lucky, I adopted a good strategy for D3, K2 and Calcium it seems, not too much, not too little...I do not know about PCa but even during chemo I took D3 + K2 and I am the only one at home that never caught a flu, even if I should be the weakest one here...

[Broccoli24 in reply to Maxone73]

How much calcium do you take, and what form? I’ve been cautious about supplementing it.

Have also been on D3&K2 which also seems to have stopped colds and flus… though I also think I read somewhere that there maybe something in AR suppression that is immunoprotective.

[Maxone73 in reply to Broccoli24]

Carbonate, with some acid food possibly (vit D3 and K with fats instead), I supplement 50% of RDA of calcium, to be safe. But I have all my electrolytes levels checked every 4 weeks, so I always know it I am taking too much. My calcium levels are in the middle of the range, never moved from there. The calcium supplement contains a little zinc and magnesium and D3, but it's mostly calcium carbonate, the simplest (and cheapest) form.

[PCaWarrior in reply to Maxone73]

Good. Go by the results and adjust. That's also what I try to do. I don't supplement with Ca simply because more might not be better and my ca is always mid range.

[Maxone73 in reply to Broccoli24]

Ah, being treated with zometa, two different MOs told me to supplement D3+K2 and calcium if I feel I am eating enough of it...and I am basically not eating dairy.

[Broccoli24 in reply to Maxone73]

Thank you… I’m not on Zometa… but am on a vegan diet. I get bloods etc tested every three months now, so will have to look at calcium levels and see where they are.

[PCaWarrior in reply to Broccoli24]

AR suppression might be immunoprotective. But we don't really understand the immune impacts of androgens. They appear to be different in men and women and seem to be situational dependent. Very high androgens are known to cause immunogenic factor increase in many men.

AI got it right this time

"Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) can impact the immune system in prostate cancer patients. ADT is a standard treatment for prostate cancer, and it can increase the sensitivity of tumor cells to immune-mediated killing. However, the effects of ADT on the immune system are complex and not fully understood. "

[dhccpa]

One year taking? That's pretty short for a non-Rx drug. My overall theory is that it takes years, like smoking or drinking (for non-Rx substances to have an impact). What do you think?

[PCaWarrior in reply to dhccpa]

Agreed. That's one of the caveats.