The effect of vitamin D2 supplementation on muscle strength in early postmenopausal women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

What Was Tested

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

The primary objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of vitamin D supplementation on muscle strength in early postmenopausal women.

Why It Was Studied

Vitamin D deficiency is common in postmenopausal women.

The effects of vitamin D2 supplementation on muscle mass and muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) were secondarily investigated.

Who Took Part

The study group was 88 subjects.

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

A 12-week, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in early postmenopausal women (45-60 years old) with vitamin D deficiency (serum 25(OH)D < 20 ng/ml).

Serum 25(OH)D level, muscle strength, muscle mass and muscle CSA were assessed at baseline and 12 weeks after the supplementation.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled.

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

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

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc group a baseline to be compared against.

What Was Measured

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Dietary Supplements, Ergocalciferols, Muscle Strength, Postmenopause, Sarcopenia, Ultrasonography and Vitamin D.

Author keywords: 25-hydroxyvitamin D level, Vitamin D2, early postmenopausal women, muscle cross-sectional area and muscle mass.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 88 subjects.

Its findings take up roughly 6 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2018 (Climacteric : the journal of the International Menopause Society), a journal based in England.

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