Podcast: Supplement Use After Breast Cancer

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Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
edited December 2020 in Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment

SABCS 2020: Supplement Use After Breast Cancer

December 14, 2020

Harrigan maura

Maura Harrigan is an oncology research registered dietitian and project manager at the Yale School of Medicine. She also serves as a registered dietitian nutritionist in the Survivorship Clinic at the Yale Cancer Center.

At the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, results were presented from a study on dietary supplement use by breast cancer survivors and how these supplements may interact with tamoxifen and the aromatase inhibitors. Maura is the lead researcher on the study.

Listen to the episode to hear Maura discuss:

  • why telling your doctor and/or a registered dietitian with oncology expertise about any and all the supplements you take is so important
  • why people may be getting more of a particular supplement than they realize
  • her advice for women who've been treated for breast cancer and are considering taking supplements

Running time: 35:31

Listen now or read the transcript.

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Comments

  • LillyIsHere
    LillyIsHere Member Posts: 830
    edited December 2020

    Thank you for sharing.

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  • Peregrinelady
    Peregrinelady Member Posts: 1,019
    edited December 2020
    So, has anyone heard about an interaction between vit. d and letrozole that is mentioned here? It says it can increase or decrease the AI levels. This is something that would be very important to know since so many of us take vit. d.
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  • MountainMia
    MountainMia Member Posts: 1,307
    edited December 2020

    Here is the problem: few if any of us have easy access to a registered dietician during or after treatment. We are doing the best we can, but we're not experts, and the experts aren't available to us. Until nutrition counseling/coaching is PART of treatment as a covered expense, we'll continue to muddle along the way we do now. That should be no surprise to anyone.

    The article says: "You have to request a nutrition consult, and then a very qualified dietitian steps in. " Yeah. I requested a nutrition consult. What happened was, during one of my chemo sessions a RD sat down across from me for about 20 minutes. Mostly she talked about food relative to chemo side effects. She told me to eat a lot more protein. She recommended I chew chocolate nibs. Honestly, this was not helpful. This was not nutrition counseling.

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  • 2019whatayear
    2019whatayear Member Posts: 767
    edited December 2020

    This podcast /interview has caused me such stress. How worried should I be about taking the Vitamin D/C to supplement my MO told me to take to offset the calcium leaching letrozole causes. Letrozole is a big part of the treatment to avoid a recurrence or Mets. How worried should I be that the Vit D is reducing the ability of letrozole to do its job.

    Honestly this is so frustrating, I am doing everything I can do to avoid it coming back--I did surgery/chemo/rads I exercise daily, I watch what I eat I take letrozole everyday and plan to take it for 10 years. And now the Vit D might make the letrozole not work? Honestly WTF.

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  • LillyIsHere
    LillyIsHere Member Posts: 830
    edited December 2020

    I think moderation is the key. I stopped vitamins at beginning of November and I am starting back to taking vitamin D only but no more than 1000iu/day. I don't think this small amount will interfere with letrozole. I have stopped calcium, vitamin B complex, glucosamine, and fish oil. I think the pharmacist I asked when I first started letrozole was right. This medication hasn't been around that long to check on interference with supplements.

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  • 2019whatayear
    2019whatayear Member Posts: 767
    edited December 2020

    That's an odd statement by the pharmacist letrozole has been used for BC since 1996.

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  • LillyIsHere
    LillyIsHere Member Posts: 830
    edited December 2020

    Letrozole is approved in USA in 1998, it makes 22yr old medicine. Breast cancer's average age in the mid-60s, so women who started letrozole 20 yr ago are in their mid-80s right now. How many are still alive to study the long SE of letrozole alone or letrozole with supplements? I don't think there is any database to tell us what happened to women after 15 years of 5 yr letrozole treatment. I asked if it increases the risk of dementia but doctors don't know. So many things we don't know about this medication. I.e. when a doctor gives you an antibiotic and says, don't worry, it has been around for a very long time. Just my thoughts on this subject.

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  • Peregrinelady
    Peregrinelady Member Posts: 1,019
    edited December 2020
    I am with you, whatayear. Wtf. However, when I googled letrozole/vitamin D interaction nothing came up. I realize that Dr. google isn’t the answer, but at least nothing glaring came up. I take 4,000 IU, but have not had my levels tested lately because I forgot to ask at my last wellness check and it is not part of the regular bloodwork. I have an appointment with my oncologist in February. I will ask if he knows about this, but I am guessing not. Vit. D is the only supplement I take and I am ticked that the dietician in the podcast alluded to an effect on letrozole metabolism but didn’t specify if it increases or decreases it. Way to confuse us! Moderators, can you find out more about this???
    We would appreciate some clarification. Thanks!
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