Low vitamin D levels may limit Fosamax benefits

Following an osteoporosis diagnosis, women are often given a prescription to buy Fosamax. New research suggests that for this treatment to be most effective, doctors should consider administering a vitamin D test first.

A team of researchers from the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York reported at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research that patients respond better to treatment with bisphosphonates - the drug class to which Fosamax belongs - when they have higher levels of vitamin D, according to MedPage Today.

The results of their investigation showed that individuals who had vitamin D levels above 33 nanograms per milliliter were five times more likely to respond to bisphosphonate therapy than participants below this level.

"This level is higher than that recommended by the Institute of Medicine as adequate for the general population, and many patients have levels well below this, so vitamin D supplementation may need to be higher for this therapeutic outcome," lead researcher Amanda Carmel told the news source.

A recent study published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings estimated that up to 57 percent of the general population may be vitamin D deficient.