Effect of vitamin D supplementation on bone and vitamin D status among Pakistani immigrants in Denmark: a randomised double-blinded placebo-controlled intervention study

British Journal of Nutrition
Q1
Jul 2008
Citations:78
Influential Citations:5
Interventional (Human) Studies
87
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Enhanced Details

Methods
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Participants: Pakistani-origin individuals living in Copenhagen area, Denmark; included adolescent girls (median age 12.2 years; 10.1–14.7), women (median age 36.2 years; 18.1–52.7), and men (median age 38.3 years; 17.9–63.5); baseline vitamin D status low.
Intervention
Three groups: placebo; vitamin D3 10 mg/d; vitamin D3 20 mg/d; duration 12 months; daily oral tablets.
Results
Supplementation with vitamin D3 increased serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (S-25OHD) in all groups. Women showed about a fourfold rise; men showed about a two- to threefold rise depending on dose (10 mg/d ~2×; 20 mg/d ~3×). S-25OHD rose by 6 months and remained elevated. Females reached about 46 nmol/l and men about 55 nmol/l after supplementation. S-iPTH decreased by 6 months; end-of-study differences between doses were observed only in women. No consistent effects on bone turnover markers or bone mass; small, non-consistent changes in some subgroups (e.g., men: slight BMC increase with 20 mg/d; women: small BA increase and slight BMD decrease with 20 mg/d) were not clinically meaningful. Higher doses or longer duration may be needed to affect bone health; fortification could be a practical public-health approach.
Limitations
Non-random recruitment; ~26% overall dropout; smaller sample in girls; underpowered for bone outcomes; baseline differences in men for some bone measures; adherence inferred from tablet counts; no muscle-strength assessment; language barriers limited some data; limited generalizability to Pakistani-origin individuals in Denmark.

Abstract

Severe vitamin D deficiency is common among Muslim immigrants. The dose necessary to correct the deficiency and its consequence for bone health are not known for immigrants. The aim was to assess the effect of relatively low dosages of supplemental v...