This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Calcium, vitamin D improved LDL in postmenopausal women
A 38% increase in mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and lower LDL were associated with calcium and vitamin D supplementation in a cohort of postmenopausal women, according to research published by the North American Menopause Society.
Researchers analyzed data from a sample group of women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative calcium and vitamin D double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial between 1993 and 1998. Women who participated were randomly assigned to 1,000 mg elemental calcium combined with 400 IU vitamin D3, divided into two daily doses, or placebo.
Of the 18,176 women in the treatment group and 18,106 in the placebo group, researchers randomly selected 6% of participants from each group and identified 291 women in the treatment group and 285 women in the placebo group to include in their analysis.
The mean age at baseline was 61.8 years and, on average, participants were 14.6 years into menopause. Researchers measured serum 25-(OH)D3 and lipid levels before and after randomization.
Post-randomization, women in the treatment group had an average 24.3 ng/mL 25-(OH)D3 compared with an average 18.2 ng/mL in the placebo group (P<.001). Women taking calcium/vitamin D supplements were more than twice as likely to have 25-(OH)D3 levels ≥30 ng/mL (RR=2.35; 95% CI, 1.71-3.22) and 1.58 times more likely to have concentrations ≥20 ng/mL (95% CI, 1.38-1.82), regardless of age, ethnicity, BMI, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity or other factors.
Further, women in the treatment group showed a 4.46 mg/dL decrease in LDL compared with the placebo group (P=.03). A nonsignificant increase in HDL (P=.82) was observed, along with a nonsignificant decrease in triglycerides (P=.21).
Researchers wrote that their findings are consistent with previous data, but additional studies should be performed, especially those that account for other variables.
“It is important to acknowledge that in these studies, calcium and vitamin D could have the opposite effect on lipid parameters along with the presence of other potential confounding factors such as dosage of supplementation, compliance, type of calcium and the duration of treatment or follow-up,” the researchers wrote. “Why some studies suggest that vitamin D supplementation and/or higher serum concentrations of 25-(OH)D3 are associated with improved lipid parameters, whereas some do not, needs further exploration.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Perspective
Back to Top
First and foremost, it should be reassuring to women that there is no deleterious effect on the lipid profile from vitamin D.
Secondly, we have to distinguish what they were really looking at between use of supplements and vitamin D levels, because these are two different things.
Use of the supplement was found to result in a modest decrease in LDL-C, which again, is a positive finding. However clinical outcomes are unknown. Whether or not that degree of change is enough to actually change clinical outcomes is unknown, so we will need to wait for the results of larger trials. There is one ongoing at this time, and that is the VITAL trial. Hopefully that will shed more light on this topic.
Collapse