Two polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor gene--association with bone mass and 5-year change in bone mass with or without hormone-replacement therapy in postmenopausal women: the Danish Osteoporosis Prevention Study.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Calcium in the context of osteoporosis and bone density, published as a randomized controlled trial.

In this prospective study of 429 healthy early postmenopausal Danish women, the researchers investigated the association between bone mineral density (BMD) and the FokI and BsmI polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene.

No association with initial BMD or 5-year change in BMD was found for either polymorphism.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 332 women were involved.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were middle-aged adults, women only.

Participants were allocated to either hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) or no treatment by randomization or personal choice.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Calcium and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Base Sequence, Body Mass Index, Bone Density, Calcium, DNA Primers, Diet and Hormone Replacement Therapy.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized study of Calcium in 332 women in people with osteoporosis and bone density.

With several hundred people or more, it is a fairly large study for this kind of research.

The publication is from 2002 (Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research), a journal based in England.

More context: Osteoporosis and bone density research.