Effect of Vitamin D and calcium supplementation on ischaemic stroke outcome: a randomised controlled open-label trial.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc, published as a randomized controlled trial.

Vitamin D deficiency is a common problem in stroke survivors.

Observational studies have reported an association of low vitamin D levels with greater stroke severity, poststroke mortality and functional disability.

Randomised clinical trials are lacking.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 73 patients were involved.

PubMed indexes the participants as middle-aged adults, both men and women.

In this randomised controlled open-label trial, 73 patients of acute ischaemic stroke were screened for serum 25 hydroxy Vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels.

One received vitamin D and calcium supplementation along with usual care (n=25) and the other received usual care alone (n=28).

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized and open-label study.

The patients were allocated by chance, so the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Being open-label, the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc study did not mask who received what.

Primary outcome was the proportion of patients achieving a good outcome [modified Rankin Scale score 0-2] at 6 months and all cause mortality at 6 months.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Brain Ischemia, Calcium, Dietary, Dietary Supplements, Kaplan-Meier Estimate, Risk Factors, Stroke and Vitamin D.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and open-label study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 73 patients.

Its findings take up roughly 5 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2016 (International journal of clinical practice), a journal based in United States.

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