Effect of modulating dietary vitamin D on the general bone health of rats during posterolateral spinal fusion

Abstract

Vitamin D plays a significant role in musculoskeletal health by regulating calcium, phosphate, and promoting new bone mineralization. The purpose of this study was to understand the effect of dietary vitamin D on general bone health during peri-operative bone healing via an in vivo dosing study of vitamin D in a rat posterolateral fusion model using autograft. Vitamin D Deficient (DD), vitamin D Insufficient (ID), Control vitamin D (CD), and Hyper-vitamin D (HD) groups were studied. Increasing dietary vitamin D improved quantitative measures of femoral geometry, including femoral strength, stiffness, and density. Femoral biomechanics, cortical thickness, moment of inertia, cross-sectional area, and measures from bone ashing were all greater in the HD group versus the CD. This suggests that additional dietary vitamin D above normal levels during spinal fusion may lead to improvement in bone health. Serum vitamin D levels were also observed to decrease during fusion healing. These results demonstrate that dietary vitamin D improves general bone health in the femur of a rat model during posterolateral spinal fusion. This suggests a role for further clinical evaluation of vitamin D dietary intake during the peri-operative period, with the possibility of avoiding adverse consequences to general bone health. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1435-1443, 2018.

Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Risk of Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…It is anticipated that one billion people have vitamin D deficiency globally ( 6 ). Vitamin D is well-known for its role in maintaining calcium homeostasis and mediating bone mineralization ( 7 , 8 ). Besides its benefits to bone health, the effects in the prevention and treatment of a variety of diseases such as cancer, autoimmune disorders, and cardiovascular disease had been investigated in recent research ( 9 – 11 ).…”