Bioavailability of calcium: comparison of calcium carbonate and milk and the effect of vitamin D, age, and sex using 24-hour urine calcium as a method.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc.

The 24-hour urine calcium excretion was used as a method.

Total urinary calcium excretion rates (mmol/day) were as follows (mean +/- SD): placebo 4.41 +/- 2.17, milk 5.17 +/- 2.33, CaCO(3) 5.83 +/- 2.03, and CaCO(3 )+ D 6.06 +/- 2.46.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 53 women taking part.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were adults, middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

Both young women and a group of older persons of both sexes were included to study the influence of age and sex.

In total, 53 healthy women and men were included: a group of 23 younger women (median age 30) and an older group of 15 women and 15 men (median age 66).

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, single-blind and placebo-controlled study.

Because people in this Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

Only one side, usually the women, was kept unaware of whether Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc was given.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc could be set against what happens without it.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Age Distribution, Biological Availability, Calcium, Calcium Carbonate, Cholecalciferol, Milk and Phosphates.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, single-blind and placebo-controlled study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 53 women.

The publication is from 2005 (Calcified tissue international), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, all human trials.