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Calcium Supplement?

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Posted 6/9/2018 2:19 AM (GMT 0)
Because we gave up dairy I thought it would be a good idea for my husband to start taking calcium. I just read a few things on the internet that said too much calcium is bad for PCa. Should I have him stop taking it?

He also takes vit D but I think that's ok.
Posted 6/9/2018 3:54 AM (GMT 0)
He should only be supplementing either if his blood levels are low. Canned salmon/sardines/anchovies are a really good source of Calcium because the tiny digestible bones are made of the same mineral that human bones need. They are also a good source of Vitamin D. Dark green vegetables are good too. So are legumes (e.g., tofu, beans) and seeds (e.g., almonds,tahini,flaxseed). Try to get nutrition from foods rather than supplements.
Posted 6/9/2018 3:54 AM (GMT 0)
Supplementing calcium should not be a problem..
Posted 6/9/2018 4:42 AM (GMT 0)
If you're going to take calcium supplements, do so in moderation. Intake of calcium over 604 mg/day was associated with risk of prostate cancer:

/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3763955/

High intake of calcium (>1500 mg/day) has been associated with more aggressive prostate cancer

cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/15/2/203.long

Same goes for Vitamin D:

Several retrospective studies have found that very high levels of plasma Vit D are associated with more aggressive PC.

/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3703748/
/academic.oup.com/jnci/article/100/11/796/897028
cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/23/8/1494
/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24838848
/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3188814/

This is just a mouse study, but it found that with continued use, after PCa already exists, Vit. D may actually increase the rate of metastases:

/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3935875/
Posted 6/9/2018 7:55 AM (GMT 0)
The first rule of supplements / vitamins etc is to discuss with your GP and Onco.

My Onco agrees with / suggests levels of Vit. B12, D, E, K2, potassium, and krill oil.
Posted 6/9/2018 10:34 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you TA, Fairwind, and 142. Sardines are a fantastic idea and he loves them! I'll read all of those studies this morning.

I asked his doctor (our regular GP, not his RO) to test his Vit D and Calcium levels at his last physical but he forgot to add those to the blood work. He does take krill oil and gingko and for now that's gonna be it.

No more calcium or Vit D supplements until his current levels are measured.

I hate to think where we would be without this place, you are all so incredibly giving and brave. I get so much strength and knowledge from all of you.
Posted 6/9/2018 12:13 PM (GMT 0)
I've been taking a calcium supplement due to ostepenia discovered in my lower spine, Lupron probably contributed to that to some degree.
Posted 6/9/2018 1:42 PM (GMT 0)
I my doctor tested me for both and said I only needed the vit-D supplement. I'm also cheap and won't buy pills I don't need.
Posted 6/9/2018 7:31 PM (GMT 0)
I have been taking 1500mg of calcium +D everyday since my Onco prescribed years ago it to slow down bone loss caused by bone mets and ADT. But I already HAD aggressive G-9 PC so I don't think the calcium caused it or made it worse....

One of the biggest nightmares in treating advanced PC is a "skeletal failure", broken and crushed bones that can result in loss of mobility, paralysis or death...The idea of supplementing calcium is to forestall or prevent this from happening..As cancer advances, drugs like Zometa are sometimes used to prevent skeletal failure but they bring their own basket full of side-effects.....
Posted 6/9/2018 9:27 PM (GMT 0)
I haven't seen any evidence that supplementing calcium or Vitamin D will prevent fractures. Zometa or Xgeva are the best things for that.

An umbrella review of more than 100 systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies and randomized controlled trials concluded, "In contrast to previous reports, evidence does not support the argument that vitamin D only supplementation increases bone mineral density or reduces the risk of fractures or falls in older people."

/www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2035

Remember too that almost all prostate cancer bone mets are "blastic," meaning they cause overgrowth of bone using whatever calcium they can pull from the serum. I'm not sure that supplying a lot of extra calcium is at all a good thing.
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