Is fall prevention by vitamin D mediated by a change in postural or dynamic balance?

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in this randomized controlled trial publication.

The objectives were:(1) to validate a quantitative balance assessment method for fall risk prediction; (2) to investigate whether the effect of vitamin D and calcium on the risk of falling is mediated through postural or dynamic balance, as assessed by this method.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 64 women taking part.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were older adults and people over 80, women only.

Using an electronic device attached to the lower back of the participant, balance was assessed as the degree of trunk angular displacement and angular velocity during a postural task (standing on two legs, eyes open, for 20 s) and a dynamic task (get up from a standard height chair with arm rests, sit down and then stand up again and remain standing).

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized and double-blind study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

As a double-blind Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Accidental Falls, Calcium, Dietary, Dietary Supplements, Postural Balance, Switzerland and Vitamin D.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and double-blind study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 64 women.

Results are reported in around 7 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 2006 (Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA), a journal based in England.

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