Prevalent dietary supplement use in older New Zealand men.

Aims: Because of a lack of recent data from New Zealand older men, we examined dietary supplement use in this demographic.

Methods: We surveyed men aged $gt;40 years who were participating in a trial of calcium supplementation on bone and cardiovascular outcomes.

Results: Forty-seven percent reported using at least one supplement and 30% of users took more than two different supplements.

Evaluation of the FRAX and Garvan fracture risk calculators in older women.

Fracture risk calculators estimate the absolute risk of osteoporotic fractures. We investigated the performance of the FRAX and Garvan Institute fracture risk calculators in healthy, older, New Zealand, postmenopausal women with normal bone mineral density (BMD) for their age. Fractures were ascertained in women initially enrolled in a 5-year trial of calcium supplements and followed on average for 8.

Relationships between vascular calcification, calcium metabolism, bone density, and fractures.

Factors involved with calcium metabolism, such as serum calcium and phosphate and calcium intake, have been associated with vascular disease in different populations. We investigated whether this association is mediated via increased vascular calcification by assessing relationships between these factors and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) and coronary artery calcification (CAC). A total of 1471 healthy postmenopausal women participated in a 5-year randomized, placebo-controlled trial of calcium 1 g/day, and 323 healthy middle-aged and older men participated in a 2-year randomized, placebo-controlled trial of calcium 600 or 1200 mg/day.

Vitamin D insufficiency and health outcomes over 5 y in older women.

Background: Vitamin D insufficiency was shown to be associated with adverse musculoskeletal and nonskeletal outcomes in numerous observational studies. However, some studies did not control for confounding factors such as age or seasonal variation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D].

Objective: We sought to determine the effect of vitamin D status on health outcomes.

Abdominal aortic calcification on vertebral morphometry images predicts incident myocardial infarction.

Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) measured on spine X-rays is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We investigated whether AAC assessed using vertebral morphometry and a recently developed scoring system (AAC-8) is reliable and associated with cardiovascular risk factors or events. A total of 1471 healthy postmenopausal women and 323 healthy middle-aged and older men participated in 5 and 2 year trials of calcium supplements, respectively.

Does degree of baldness influence vitamin D status?

Objective: To determine the association, if any, between male-pattern hair loss (baldness) and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels.

Design And Participants: A cross-sectional study of 296 healthy middle-aged and older men.

Main Outcome Measures: Degree of baldness was independently assessed by two researchers using the Hamilton-Norwood scale and serum 25-OHD was measured in all men.

The effects of seasonal variation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and fat mass on a diagnosis of vitamin D sufficiency.

Background: The effect of season on vitamin D status is often overlooked in studies of optimal vitamin D concentrations and in clinical practice.

Objectives: We aimed to determine the effects of seasonal variation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] on a previously selected minimum concentration for vitamin D sufficiency (50 nmol/L) and to determine whether fat mass modifies these effects.

Design: A cross-sectional study evaluated 1606 healthy postmenopausal women and 378 older men from Auckland, New Zealand, who were undergoing single measurements of 25(OH)D.

Age-, gender-, and weight-related effects on levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D are not mediated by vitamin D binding protein.

Objective: 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels are inversely related to body weight, and have been reported to decline with age and be lower in women than men. We hypothesized that these findings might be explained by effects of these variables on vitamin D binding protein (DBP) levels. We set out to determine the relationships between DBP and gender, 25OHD, body weight and body composition.

Determinants of vitamin D status in older women living in a subtropical climate.

Studies performed in the Northern Hemisphere and in areas distant from the equator have demonstrated significant seasonal variation in 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels. Whether such variation occurs in a subtropical area such as Australasia is not clear. We performed a cross-sectional study of 1,606 healthy, postmenopausal women recruited over a 33-month period.

Serum insulin-like growth factor-I and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 following chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer.

Background: Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) appear to influence the growth of breast cancer cells in vitro, and epidemiological studies suggest higher serum IGF-I levels increase the risk of breast cancer. IGF-I and IGFBP-3 have therefore been measured in women with advanced breast cancer to determine if changes in serum levels predict the response to treatment by chemotherapy.

Methods: Serum IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels were measured in 14 patients before and after 1 week of chemotherapy.