Age of menopause and fracture risk in postmenopausal women randomized to calcium + vitamin D, hormone therapy, or the combination: results from the Women's Health Initiative Clinical Trials.
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ABSTRACT: We previously reported that in the absence of hormone therapy (HT) or calcium/vitamin D (Ca/D) supplementation, earlier menopause age was associated with decreased bone mineral density and increased fracture risk in healthy postmenopausal women. Treatment with HT and Ca/D is protective against fractures after menopause. In this analysis, we asked if the age of menopause onset alters fracture risk in healthy postmenopausal women receiving HT, Ca/D, or a combination.Hazard ratios (HRs) for any fracture among 21,711 healthy postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Clinical Trial, who were treated with HT, Ca/D, or HT + Ca/D, and who reported age of nonsurgical menopause of <40, 40 to 49, and ?50 years, were compared.Women with menopause <40 years had significantly higher HR for fracture than women with menopause 40 to 49 or ?50 years, regardless of treatment intervention (HR [95% CI]: menopause <40 y vs ?50 y, 1.36 [1.11-1.67]; menopause <40 y vs 40-49 y, 1.30 [1.06-1.60]).In the overall Women's Health Initiative Clinical Trial cohort and within each treatment group, women with younger menopause age (<40 y) had a higher risk of any fracture than women reporting older menopause ages. The effect of menopause age on fracture risk was not altered by any of the treatment interventions (HT, Ca/D, HT + Ca/D), suggesting that early age of menopause is an independent contributor to postmenopausal fracture risk.
Age of menopause and fracture risk in postmenopausal women randomized to calcium + vitamin D, hormone therapy, or the combination: results from the Women's Health Initiative Clinical Trials.
<h4>Objective</h4>We previously reported that in the absence of hormone therapy (HT) or calcium/vitamin D (Ca/D) supplementation, earlier menopause age was associated with decreased bone mineral density and increased fracture risk in healthy postmenopausal women. Treatment with HT and Ca/D is protective against fractures after menopause. In this analysis, we asked if the age of menopause onset alters fracture risk in healthy postmenopausal women receiving HT, Ca/D, or a combination.<h4>Methods</ ...[more]
Project description:BackgroundCalcium and vitamin D (CaD) supplementation trials including the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial of CaD have shown nonsignificant reductions in total mortality. This report examines intervention effects on total and cause-specific mortality by age and adherence.MethodsThe WHI CaD trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that enrolled 36,282 postmenopausal women aged 51-82 years from 40 U.S. clinical centers. Women were assigned to 1,000 mg of elemental calcium carbonate and 400 IU of vitamin D(3) daily or placebo with average follow-up of 7.0 years.ResultsThe hazard ratio (HR) for total mortality was 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83-1.01) with 744 deaths in women randomized to CaD versus 807 deaths in the placebo group. HRs were in the direction of reduced risk but nonsignificant for stroke and cancer mortality, but near unity for coronary heart disease and other causes of death. HRs for total mortality were 0.89 in the 29,942 women younger than 70 years (95% CI, 0.79-1.01) and 0.95 in the 6,340 women aged 70 and older (95% CI, 0.80-1.12; p value for age interaction = .10). No statistically significant interactions were observed for any baseline characteristics. Treatment effects did not vary significantly by season.ConclusionsIn the WHI CaD trial, supplementation did not have a statistically significant effect on mortality rates but the findings support the possibility that these supplements may reduce mortality rates in postmenopausal women. These data can neither support nor refute recommendations for higher dose vitamin D supplementation to reduce cancer or total mortality.
Project description:OBJECTIVE:To study the effects of postmenopausal hormone therapy (PHT) on the incidence and severity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS:The Women's Health Initiative randomized controlled trials evaluated the effects of unopposed estrogen (E-alone) and estrogen plus progestin (E+P) compared with placebo on a diverse set of health outcomes over 7.1 and 5.6 years, respectively. RA cases were identified using historical and medication data. The hazard of developing RA was estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Disease symptom severity was estimated using the Short Form 36 (SF-36) and self-reported joint pain scores at baseline and after 1 year. Mean changes in severity were compared using linear regression models. RESULTS:Of the 27,347 participants, 63 prevalent cases and 105 incident cases of RA were identified. A nonsignificant reduction in the risk of developing RA (hazard ratio 0.74; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.51, 1.10) was noted with PHT use. PHT use led to improved SF-36 scores in unadjusted analyses (percent change 12.5%; 95% CI -24.45, -0.57) but not after adjustment for relevant covariates (P = 0.33). Nonsignificant improvements in joint pain scores were seen with PHT use (odds ratio [OR] 4.10; 95% CI 0.83, 20.20). PHT did not improve swelling (OR 1.27; 95% CI 0.08, 19.63) or prevent new joint pains (OR 0.72; 95% CI 0.11, 4.68) in RA participants. CONCLUSION:There were no statistically significant differences in the risk of developing RA or the severity of RA between the PHT and placebo groups.
Project description:It is unknown whether supplementation with calcium and vitamin D has an impact on menopause-related symptoms.As part of the Women's Health Initiative Calcium/Vitamin D Supplementation Trial (CaD), women were randomized at 40 clinical sites to elemental calcium carbonate 1000 mg with vitamin D 400 IU daily or placebo. At the CaD baseline visit (year 1 or year 2) and during a mean follow-up of 5.7 years, participants provided data on menopause-related symptoms via questionnaires. Generalized linear mixed effects techniques were used to address research questions.After excluding participants with missing data (N=2125), we compared menopause-related symptoms at follow-up visits of 17,101 women randomized to CaD with those of 17,056 women given the placebo. Women in the CaD arm did not have a different number of symptoms at follow-up compared to women taking the placebo (p=0.702). Similarly, there was no difference between sleep disturbance, emotional well-being, or energy/fatigue at follow-up in those who were randomized to CaD supplementation compared to those taking the placebo.Our data suggest that supplementation with 1000 mg of calcium plus 400 IU of vitamin D does not influence menopause-related symptoms over an average of 5.7 years of follow-up among postmenopausal women with an average age of 64 at the WHI baseline visit.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Magnesium and calcium are antagonistic in many physiologic processes. However, few studies have investigated the associations of supplemental calcium with lung cancer risk taking this antagonism into account. We evaluated the effect of calcium and vitamin D supplementation on lung cancer incidence and explored whether the ratio of baseline calcium to magnesium (Ca:Mg) intake modifies the association in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) calcium plus vitamin D supplementation (CaD) trial. METHODS:The intervention phase of the WHI CaD was a double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 36,382 postmenopausal women aged 50-79 years, recruited at 40U.S. centers. Post-intervention follow-up continued among 29,862 (86%) of the surviving participants. Risk of lung cancer in association with CaD supplementation was evaluated using proportional hazard regression models. RESULTS:After 11 years' cumulative follow-up, there were 207 lung cancers (incidence 0.11% per year) in the supplement arm and 241 (0.12%) in the placebo arm (hazard ratio (HR) for the intervention, 0.91; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.71-1.17). Subgroup analyses suggested that the HR for lung cancer varied by baseline Ca:Mg intake ratio among women who were current smokers at enrollment (p=0.04 for interaction). CONCLUSIONS:Over the entire follow-up period, calcium and vitamin D supplementation did not reduce lung cancer incidence among postmenopausal women. In exploratory analyses, an interaction was found for the baseline Ca:Mg intake ratio on lung cancer among current smokers at the trial entry. This findings need to be further studied for the role of calcium with magnesium in lung carcinogenesis in current smokers.
Project description:ObjectivesTo determine associations between postmenopausal change in body weight and incidence of fracture and associations between voluntary and involuntary weight loss and risk of fracture.DesignPost hoc analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study and Clinical Trials.Setting40 clinical centers in the United States.Participants120,566 postmenopausal women, aged 50-79 at baseline (1993-98), followed through 2013 (mean fracture follow-up duration 11 years from baseline).ExposuresAnnualized percentage change in measured body weight from baseline to year 3, classified as stable (<5% change), weight loss (≥ 5%), or weight gain (≥ 5%). Self assessment of whether weight loss was intentional or unintentional. Cox proportional hazards regression models were adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, baseline body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol intake, level of physical activity, energy expenditure, calcium and vitamin D intake, physical function score, oophorectomy, hysterectomy, previous fracture, comorbidity score, and drug use.Main outcomesIncident self reported fractures of the upper limbs, lower limbs, and central body; hip fractures confirmed by medical records.ResultsMean participant age was 63.3. Mean annualized percent weight change was 0.30% (95% confidence interval 0.28 to 0.32). Overall, 79,279 (65.6%) had stable weight; 18,266 (15.2%) lost weight; and 23,021 (19.0%) gained weight. Compared with stable weight, weight loss was associated with a 65% higher incidence rates of fracture in hip (adjusted hazard ratio 1.65, 95% confidence interval 1.49 to 1.82), upper limb (1.09, 1.03 to 1.16), and central body (1.30, 1.20 to 1.39); weight gain was associated with higher incidence rates of fracture in upper limb (1.10, 1.05 to 1.18) and lower limb (1.18, 1.12 to 1.25). Compared with stable weight, unintentional weight loss was associated with a 33% higher incidence rates of hip fracture (1.33, 1.19 to 1.47) and increased incidence rates of vertebral fracture (1.16, 1.06 to 1.26); intentional weight loss was associated with increased incidence rates of lower limb fracture (1.11, 1.05 to 1.17) and decreased incidence of hip fracture (0.85, 0.76 to 0.95).ConclusionsWeight gain, weight loss, and intentional weight loss are associated with increased incidence of fracture, but associations differ by fracture location. Clinicians should be aware of fracture patterns after weight gain and weight loss.
Project description:We re-evaluate the Women's Health Initiative findings and their implications for clinical practice. Menopausal hormone therapy (HT) was effective for relief of vasomotor symptoms, and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) tended to be reduced in women close to menopause compared with the increased risk in women more distant from menopause. In recently menopausal women, short-term absolute risks of stroke and venous thromboembolism were small. Estrogen plus progestin therapy, but not estrogen therapy, increased the risk of breast cancer with a suggestion of greater risk when initiated close to the menopause. Menopausal HT increased the risk of CHD in women more than 20 years distant from menopause, particularly in women with vasomotor symptoms. It remains unknown whether the suggestive benefit for CHD in younger women will translate into benefits or harms if menopausal HT is continued into older ages. Based on Women's Health Initiative data, the use of menopausal HT for fewer than 5 years is a reasonable option for the relief of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms. The risks seen with estrogen plus progestin therapy suggest careful periodic reassessment of the ongoing therapy needs for women taking estrogen plus progestin therapy. The more favorable profile of estrogen therapy allows for individualized management with respect to duration of use when symptoms persist. For both estrogen therapy and estrogen plus progestin therapy, the baseline risk profile of the individual woman needs to be taken into account. Menopausal HT is not suitable for long-term prevention of CHD given risks of stroke, venous thromboembolism, and breast cancer (for estrogen plus progestin therapy) found in both clinical trials and in observational studies.
Project description:Objectives: To examine the effects of vitamin D and calcium on cognitive outcomes in elderly women.Design: Post hoc analysis of a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.Setting: Forty Women's Health Initiative (WHI) clinical centers across the United States.Participants: Four thousand one hundred forty-three women aged 65 and older without probable dementia at baseline who participated in the WHI Calcium and Vitamin D Trial and the WHI Memory Study.Intervention: Two thousand thirty-four women were randomized to receive 1,000 mg of calcium carbonate combined with 400 IU of vitamin D(3) (treatment) and 2,109 to placebo.Measurements: Primary: classifications of probable dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) based on a four-phase protocol that included central adjudication. Secondary: global cognitive function and individual cognitive subtests.Results: Mean age of participants was 71. During a mean follow-up of 7.8 years, 39 participants in the treatment group and 37 in the placebo group developed incident dementia (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.71-1.74, P = .64). Likewise, 98 treatment participants and 108 placebo participants developed incident MCI (HR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.72-1.25, P = .72). There were no significant differences in incident dementia or MCI or in global or domain-specific cognitive function between groups.Conclusion: There was no association between treatment assignment and incident cognitive impairment. Further studies are needed to investigate the effects of vitamin D and calcium separately, on men, in other age and ethnic groups, and with other doses.
Project description:ObjectiveCoronary artery calcified plaque is a marker for atheromatous plaque burden and predicts future risk of cardiovascular events. The relationship between calcium plus vitamin D (calcium/D) supplementation and coronary artery calcium (CAC) has not been previously assessed in a randomized trial setting. We compared CAC scores after trial completion between women randomized to calcium/vitamin D supplementation and women randomized to placebo.MethodsIn an ancillary substudy of women randomized to calcium carbonate (1,000 mg of elemental calcium daily) plus vitamin D3 (400 IU daily) or placebo, nested within the Women's Health Initiative trial of estrogen among women who underwent hysterectomy, we measured CAC with cardiac CT in 754 women aged 50 to 59 years at randomization. Imaging for CAC was performed at 28 of 40 centers after a mean of 7 years of treatment, and scans were read centrally. CAC scores were measured by a central reading center with masking to randomization assignments.ResultsPosttrial CAC measurements were similar in women randomized to calcium/D supplementation and those receiving placebo. The mean CAC score was 91.6 for women receiving calcium/D and 100.5 for women receiving placebo (rank test P value = 0.74). After adjustment for coronary risk factors, multivariate odds ratios for increasing CAC score cutpoints (CAC >0, > or =10, and > or =100) for calcium/D versus placebo were 0.92 (95% CI, 0.64-1.34), 1.29 (0.88-1.87), and 0.90 (0.56-1.44), respectively. Corresponding odds ratios among women with a 50% or higher adherence to study pills and for higher levels of CAC (>300) were similar.ConclusionsTreatment with moderate doses of calcium plus vitamin D3 did not seem to alter coronary artery calcified plaque burden among postmenopausal women. Whether higher or lower doses would affect this outcome remains uncertain.
Project description:The aim of this study was to determine the associations between calcium + vitamin D supplementation (vs placebo) and height loss in 36,282 participants of the Women's Health Initiative Calcium and Vitamin D trial.Post hoc analysis of data from a double-blind randomized controlled trial of 1,000 mg of elemental calcium as calcium carbonate with 400 IU of vitamin D3 daily (CaD) or placebo in postmenopausal women at 40 US clinical centers. Height was measured annually (mean follow-up 5.9 y) with a stadiometer.Average height loss was 1.28 mm/y among participants assigned to CaD versus 1.26 mm/y for women assigned to placebo (P?=?0.35). Effect modification of the CaD intervention was not observed by age, race/ethnicity, or baseline intake of calcium or vitamin D. Randomization to the CaD group did not reduce the risk of clinical height loss (loss of ?1.5 inches [3.8 cm]: hazard ratio (95% CI)?=?1.00 (0.81, 1.23). A strong association (P?<?0.001) was observed between age group and height loss. When we censored follow-up data in participants who became nonadherent to study pills, the results were similar to those of our primary analysis.Compared with placebo, the CaD supplement used in this trial did not prevent height loss in healthy postmenopausal women.
Project description:To analyze the treatment effect of calcium+vitamin D supplementation, hormone therapy, both, and neither on cardiovascular disease risk factors.We conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial among Women's Health Initiative (WHI) participants. The predefined primary outcome was low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).Between September 1993 and October 1998, a total of 68,132 women aged 50-79 years were recruited and randomized to the WHI-Dietary Modification (n=48,835) and WHI-Hormone Therapy trials (n=27,347). Subsequently, 36,282 women from WHI-Hormone Therapy (16,089) and WHI-Dietary Modification (n=25,210) trials were randomized in the WHI-Calcium+Vitamin D trial to 1,000 mg elemental calcium carbonate plus 400 international units vitamin D3 daily or placebo. Our study group included 1,521 women who participated in both the hormone therapy and calcium+vitamin D trials and were in the 6% subsample of trial participants with blood sample collections at baseline and years 1, 3, and 6. The average treatment effect with 95% confidence interval, for LDL-C, compared with placebo, was -1.6, (95% confidence interval [CI] -5.5 to 2.2) mg/dL for calcium+vitamin D alone, -9.0 (95% CI -13.0 to -5.1) mg/dL for hormone therapy alone, and -13.8 (95% CI -17.8 to -9.8) mg/dL for the combination. There was no evidence of a synergistic effect of calcium+vitamin D+hormone therapy on LDL-C (P value for interaction=.26) except in those with low total intakes of vitamin D, for whom there was a significant synergistic effect on LDL (P value for interaction=.03).Reductions in LDL-C were greater among women randomized to both calcium+vitamin D and hormone therapy than for those randomized to either intervention alone or to placebo. The treatment effect observed in the calcium+vitamin D+hormone therapy combination group may be additive rather than synergistic. For clinicians and patients deciding to begin calcium+vitamin D supplementation, current use of hormone therapy should not influence that decision.ClinicalTrials.gov, https://clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00000611.