Comparison of daily, weekly, and monthly vitamin D3 in ethanol dosing protocols for two months in elderly hip fracture patients.
BACKGROUND
Different dosing protocols have been used for vitamin D supplementation, but there has been a lack of comparative data among them.


OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to determine whether the same cumulative dose of vitamin D3 produces different effects if it is given daily, weekly, or monthly.


METHODS
Women, age 81 +/- 8 yr (+/- sd, n = 48), who had undergone surgery to repair hip fracture were randomized to vitamin D3-supplementation protocols at 1,500 IU daily, or 10,500 IU once weekly, or 45,000 IU once every 28 d. The primary outcome measure was the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration attained.


RESULTS
Initially, serum 25(OH)D concentrations for daily, weekly, and monthly groups were, respectively, 15.13 +/- 6.9, 15.7 +/- 10.1, and 16.2 +/- 10.1 ng/ml. By d 7, these had increased significantly in all the groups (P < 0.001). On the first day after the monthly dose, both serum 25(OH)D and serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D had increased significantly (P < 0.012 each), whereas these did not change significantly on the day after daily or weekly doses. After 2 months, serum 25(OH)D with daily, weekly, and monthly dosing were, respectively, 33.2 +/- 8.5, 29.2 +/- 8.9, and 37.1 +/- 10.3 ng/ml; there were no significant differences among these values.


CONCLUSIONS
Supplementation with vitamin D can be achieved equally well with daily, weekly, or monthly dosing frequencies. Therefore, the choice of dose frequency can be based on whichever approach will optimize an individual's adherence with long-term vitamin D supplementation.
Ish-Shalom
Sophia
S
Metabolic Bone Diseases Unit, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel. s_ish_shalom@rambam.health.gov.il
Segal
Elena
E
Salganik
Tina
T
Raz
Batia
B
Bromberg
Irvin L
IL
Vieth
Reinhold
R
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002118:Calcium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood; D002762:Cholecalciferol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood
D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D002762:Cholecalciferol; D000431:Ethanol; D002118:Calcium