Skeletal muscle strength in young Asian Indian females after vitamin D and calcium supplementation: a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial.

Study answer

What this study found

Oral calcium and/or cholecalciferol did not improve skeletal muscle strength, physical performance, or quality of life over 6 months. Handgrip strength showed no significant between-group difference (P=0.19), and pinch strength, 6-minute walk distance, dyspnea VAS, and SF-36 physical and mental component scores were also non-significant. Although supplementation increased vitamin D status and was generally well tolerated, hypercalciuria and hypercalcemia occurred across arms without significant group differences, including 2 cases of severe hypercalcemia.

Study & population

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled factorial trial in young, apparently healthy vitamin D-deficient Asian Indian women recruited at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, India.

Intervention

This double-blind factorial trial evaluated three oral active regimens over 6 months: calcium carbonate 500 mg elemental calcium twice daily, cholecalciferol 60,000 IU weekly for 8 weeks followed by 60,000 IU every 2 weeks for 4 months, or the combination of both regimens.

Key limitation

Each active arm was modest in size (n=43), which limits power to detect small effects or uncommon harms.

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Original abstract