Measuring a man’s daily calcium intake is an effective way of identifying prostate cancer patients with a higher than average risk of osteoporosis, according to the April issue of the urology journal BJU International.
Researchers from the Autonoma University School of Medicine, Barcelona, Spain, looked at a cross-section of 372 men with prostate cancer. 72 per cent were receiving androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) and 28 per cent had undergone a radical prostatectomy. Their average age was just under 70.
They found that 49 per cent of the men had osteoporosis, including 55 per cent of those who had received the ADT hormone therapy and 35 per cent of those who had had a prostatectomy.
These figures are considerably higher than the prevalence of osteoporosis in the general male population, where it’s estimated that about 20 per cent of all male osteoporosis cases occur in the 61 to 70 age group.
A dietary questionnaire revealed that only seven per cent of the men were consuming more than 1000 mg of calcium a day - the average daily calcium intake was 610mg in men with osteoporosis and 683mg in those without.
These levels are well below the 1000mg recommended for all 25-65 year-olds by the US National Institutes of Health and the 1500mg recommended for men over 65.
"Our research showed a significant relationship between a low daily calcium intake and higher levels of osteoporosis in men with prostate cancer" says lead researcher Dr Jacques Planas from the University’s Department of Urology.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-04/bpl-mci041007.php
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