Effect of Vitamin D3 on Bone Mineral Density
Written by Ben Bunting: BA(Hons), PGCert. Sport & Exercise Nutrition. British Army Physical Training Instructor.
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This systematic review evaluated the effects of vitamin D3 versus placebo on bone health measures.
Several factors were controlled for, including age and sex. The results were compared between treatments, using time-by-treatment interaction (TIM) tests.
Follow-up data were excluded if patients did not return to complete follow-up data. Treatment effects were specified a priori by variable, and statistical tests were performed using SAS.
Randomization of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3
In a recent meta-analysis, researchers found that the effects of supplemental vitamin D on bone mineral density were dose-dependent, but not dose-independent.
Although the effect of vitamin D is not entirely understood, some scientists believe that vitamin D is important for bone health.
The study used a standard dose of 400 IU per day, the recommended daily allowance for adults under 70 years of age.
This randomized trial investigated the effects of 25OHD on BMD across age groups and different skeletal sites.
The results of the study were consistent with previous studies, in which SNPs near genes encoding carrier proteins and enzymes that play a role in vitamin D synthesis were used.
However, the results showed no correlation between serum 25OHD concentration and BMD measured in different sites.
In a separate study, the researchers assessed the effect of vitamin D on bone density in healthy older adults.
The researchers measured bone mineral content in the distal forearm shaft. The distal forearm was defined as the part of the forearm that contains the distal regions of the radius and ulna.
The distal edge of the ROI was parallel to the distal endplate of the ulna.
There are a variety of reasons why vitamin D supplementation may have a beneficial effect on bone density.
The first is that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of fractures and low bone density. The other reason is that vitamin D deficiency can result in increased bone turnover.
To conduct the study, researchers randomized participants in a 1:1:1 ratio, based on their age, gender, and serum vitamin D.
In the study, the levels of vitamin D were determined before and after the three and twelve months of treatment.
The randomization tables were computer generated prior to the start of the trial, and the treatment groups were kept confidential.
Although this study did not address the effects of high-dose vitamin D on bone mineral density in healthy adults, it did demonstrate an increased plasma level of calcitriol, which stimulates osteoclast differentiation.
This reduced bone formation might result in a decrease in volumetric BMD.
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were higher in subjects receiving 960 IU/day than in those receiving a lower dose.
However, these differences did not reach statistical significance. Infants receiving a low or high dose of vitamin D had the same bone mineral content and density as those in the high-dose group.
Effects of vitamin D3 on bone mineral density
In this systematic review, the effects of vitamin D on bone mineral density in children and adolescents were examined.
The researchers used MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant studies.
They also examined published articles involving both double-blinded and single-blinded trials. The findings of these studies suggest that vitamin D supplementation may benefit bone health.
The results showed that vitamin D supplementation increased bone mineral density in males and females.
This effect was statistically significant for females, while it was not significant for males. The effects were greater in the low serum vitamin D subgroup than in the high serum vitamin D group.
Among the 23 studies, 23 met inclusion criteria. They included 4082 participants and had a mean duration of 23 months.
They were 92% female and had an average age of 59. The participants were studied for at least six months, and the vitamin D dose varied between studies. The researchers measured bone mineral density at one to five sites.
A total of 70 statistical tests were conducted on the data. Overall, six studies showed a benefit of vitamin D supplementation, while two showed a detriment.
The researchers found that vitamin D supplementation increased bone mineral density in children and adults.
The effect was greatest in preschoolers and low-compliance children, whereas the effect was smaller in postpubertal young adults.
These findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation may have a significant effect on fracture rates in adulthood.
The researchers conducted a 3-year randomized clinical trial that examined the effects of vitamin D on bone mineral density in healthy adults.
Despite the tolerable upper intake level set by the National Academy of Medicine (now the Institute of Medicine), the results were inconclusive.
Vitamin D and calcium supplements may benefit HIV patients and improve their bone health.
In addition to preventing bone disease, vitamin D and calcium supplementation also result in significant improvements in bone mineral density.
The authors also conducted a meta-analysis to examine the consistency of the effects of the treatments.
The meta-analysis included both prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials.
In contrast, the four thousand-IU group was significantly lower than the other two groups. They experienced a 1.2% mean baseline change in radial bone density compared to the other two groups.
However, in a mixed-model analysis of total volumetric BMD, the effect was not statistically significant in the 4000-IU group.
However, the ten thousand-IU group experienced a 3.7-megagram decrease in HA/cm3 (95% CI), which is also lower than the others.
Costs of vitamin D3 supplementation
Vitamin D3 is one of the most important nutrients for bone health. While vitamin D deficiency can lead to weak bones and weakened health, supplementation with vitamin D may be beneficial for the development of healthy bones.
Various studies have demonstrated that vitamin D supplementation has positive effects on bone mineral density, including those on the lumbar spine and hip.
Studies have shown that calcium and vitamin D supplements may reduce the risk of fractures. However, only one study included women over 50 years.
Despite these findings, the study found that calcium and vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced the risk of fracture. The researchers found that these supplements could reduce fracture risk by 14% and resulted in reduced hospital expenses.
Using a cost-benefit analysis tool, the researchers identified the savings associated with calcium and vitamin D supplementation.
The model also estimated the number of avoided fractures. The net benefit was then calculated by subtracting the market costs from the estimated savings.
Although the benefits of vitamin D supplementation have been shown to reduce the risk of osteoporosis-related fractures, these benefits may be driven by a higher reduction in risks among older populations.
These older populations are more likely to suffer from vitamin D deficiencies and suffer from osteoporosis-related fractures.
Consequently, the findings of this study may be beneficial for persons with osteoporosis and their healthcare providers, insurers, and employers alike.
Supplementation with vitamin D is not inexpensive. While it is highly effective in improving bone mineral density, it is also relatively expensive, making it difficult for people in low-income countries to use it.
Further studies are needed to prove whether vitamin D supplementation improves bone health.
Vitamin D and calcium supplements for bone health are effective in preventing osteoporosis and are cost-effective in older adults.
The findings support recommendations from the ESCEO working group. Vitamin D supplementation should be recommended for people over 60 who are at high risk of developing osteoporosis.
The researchers found that the benefits of vitamin D supplementation were similar regardless of sex and vitamin D dosage.
The effects were also consistent across all sites. However, the female subgroup showed a statistically significant effect on lumbar spine bone mineral density, while males showed no difference.
Furthermore, the available studies did not allow for plateauing or accumulating effects.
Vitamin D supplementation for bone health has been proven effective in improving bone health in children and adolescents.
Children who had a low vitamin D intake had lower levels of total body bone mineral content, hip bone mineral density, and lumbar spine bone mineral density than those who had high levels of vitamin D.
Conclusion
Several studies have examined the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on bone mineral density.
Researchers have found that low vitamin D levels are associated with significantly lower total body bone mineral content and lumbar spine bone mineral density.
However, no effect was seen in subjects taking vitamin D3 alone.
The results of one study showed that vitamin D supplementation was more effective than placebo at increasing cortical bone density.
Moreover, it also led to greater cortical volumetric BMD. The lowest gain was observed in the group taking 10 000 IU of vitamin D.
Vitamin D supplementation has been used for years to improve bone health, but results of randomized controlled trials have been contradictory.
Recent studies have shown that vitamin D can increase bone mineral density and bone structure in healthy adults.
One such study, called VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL, evaluated a subcohort of 771 healthy adults in the US without bone active drugs.
The participants were assessed at baseline and at two years of follow-up. The researchers measured total 25(OH)D levels using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.
The researchers examined the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on bone mineral density in older adults.
The study included 771 participants aged between 30 and 79. They were women and men. The mean age was 63.8 years. The study also measured serum levels of vitamin D and alkaline phosphatase.
The participants were also evaluated for fracture history and vitamin D supplementation. In addition, 80 participants were diagnosed with osteoporosis, defined as a T-score of -2.5 at the spine.
