Vitamin D treatment improves levels of sexual hormones, metabolic parameters and erectile function in middle-aged vitamin D deficient men
Aging Male, Early Online: 1-8 DOI: 10.1080/13685538.2016.1271783 Jan 4 2017
Onder Canguven1ocanguven at yahoo.com, Raidh A. Talib1 *, Walid El Ansari2, Dany-Jan Yassin3, and Abdullah Al Naimi1
’Department of Urology and 2Department of Surgery, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar, and 3Institute of Urology and Andrology, Hamburg, Germany
Participants selected had <30 ng/mL and erectile dysfunction
Dosing started with monthly 600,000 IU of Vitamin D2
Their goal was to have > 30 ng of serum vitamin D
They reduced the dose to bimonthly 600,000 IU of Vitamin D2 when > 30 ng
Comment by Vitamin D Life
- Many consider biomonthly to be too infrequent for D3 and far too infrequent for D2
- Probably get better results if they had started with 400,000 IU of vitamin D3 every 20 days
And then cut back to 200,000 IU of D3 every 20 days - It is very unlikely that a single dose of vitamin D2 or D3 could still cause increases at 12 months.
It is more likely that the increases were due to the summer sun (trial had ended in Sept)
| Initial | 12 months | |
| Serum Vitamin D ng | 15 | 49 |
| serum testosterone nmol/L | 12 | 16 |
| erectile function scores | 14 | 20 |
| estradiol pmol/L | 88 | 70 |
| PTH pg/mL | 59 | 38 |
| HbA1c levels | 7.4 | 6.7 |
| PSA | 0.59 | 0.82 |
See also Vitamin D Life
- Male infertility associated with low vitamin D levels – Dec 2012
- Better sperm if have higher level of vitamin D not mentioned in the study on this page
- Male fertility 4 X higher if high Vitamin D – Nov 2015
- Testosterone levels increased after vitamin D supplementation (342 from 320) – June 2015
- Vitamin D associations with erectile dysfunction - April 2012
- Overview Vitamin D3 not D2
- Male fertility 4 X higher if high Vitamin D – Nov 2015
- Erectile Dysfunction associated with low vitamin D in several studies
- Better sperm if have higher level of vitamin D
Background: The associations between serum vitamin D (VD), serum testosterone (TT) and metabolic syndrome are complex and with limited published research, particularly on the effects of VD treatment on sexual hormones, erectile function and the metabolic syndrome.
Objectives: This study assessed whether a monthly high dose VD treatment for 12 months in VD deficient middle-aged men was associated with: changes in levels of sexual hormones, improvement of diabetes control and metabolic syndrome components, better erectile function [International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-5 questionnaire]; and changes in a prostate marker.
Materials and methods: Descriptive research of a prospective study, conducted between October 2014 and September 2015, 102 male patients >35 [(±SD: 53.2 ±10.5), (range 35-64)] years with deficient serum VD level (<30ng/mL) were included in the study. Participants were followed up for one year, with monitoring at 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-months. At the initial baseline visit, a complete medical examination was conducted, and blood was drawn for laboratory tests for above biochemical and hormonal variables under examination. Participants received an initial VD (Ergocalciferol; oral solution 600000 IU/1.5 ml), and followed a VD treatment regime thereafter. At the four follow up visits (3, 6, 9 and 12 months), blood was collected, and patients' erectile function was evaluated by IIEF-5 questionnaire.
Main outcome measures: During the follow up visits, all the biochemical and hormonal (TT, estradiol and luteinizing hormones, HbA1c, serum lipids profile) were assessed, and patients' erectile function was evaluated by IIEF-5 questionnaire.
Results: Patients' mean age was 53.2 ±10.4 years. Serum VD exhibited significant increments (p<0.001) from baseline (15.16±4.64 ng/mL), to
- 3 (months) (31.90 ± 15.99 ng/mL),
- 6 (Months) (37.23 ± 12.42 ng/mL),
- 9 (months) (44.88± 14.49 ng/mL) and
- 12 months (48.54± 11.62 ng/mL),
and there was significant stepladder increases in both
- serum TT level (12.46±3.30 to 15.99± 1.84nmol/L) and
- erectile function scores (13.88±3.96 to 20.25±3.24) (p<0.001 for both).
We also observed significant stepladder decreases in
- estradiol (87.90±27.16 to 69.85± 14.80 pmol/L, p = 0.001),
- PTH (from 58.52 ±28.99 to 38.33 ± 19.44pg/mL, p <0.001) and
- HbA1c levels (7.41 ±2.85 to 6.66 ± 1.67%, p = 0.001).
- Mean BMI significantly decreased from 33.91 ±6.67 to 33.14 ±6.35 kg/m2 (p = 0.001); and
- PSA values significantly increased from 0.59±0.30 to 0.82 ±0.39 ng/mL (p <0.001)
at the end of the 12 months' follow-up. There were no changes in LH levels.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that VD treatment improves testosterone levels, metabolic syndrome and erectile function in middle-aged men. More randomized placebo-controlled interventional trials of VD treatment in patients with the metabolic syndrome and low TT could assist in uncovering the putative roles of VD.