Calcium and Vitamin D Supplements Not Linked to Reduction of Joint Symptoms in Postmenopausal Women

A new study shows that vitamin D and calcium supplementation used in an effort to combat joint symptoms in postmenopausal women, including both calcium and vitamin D, had little effects in reducing the severity of health problems.

According to background information from the study, the influence of both supplements have been shown to reduce problems regarding early signs of osteoporosis.

"In the current study, we addressed for the first time in a full-scale, randomized clinical trial setting, the clinically relevant question of whether postmenopausal women using calcium and vitamin D supplements in currently recommended dosage would experience any favorable effect on joint pain or swelling, common symptoms in postmenopausal women," said lead investigator Rowan T. Chlebowski, MD, PhD, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California, via a press release.

Researchers looked at data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) calcium plus vitamin D supplementation trial, in which researchers identified a subgroup of 1,911 postmenopausal women for a current study that was randomized to receive calcium carbonate with vitamin D3 daily or placebo and had undergone serial joint symptom assessment. Responses regarding supplementation were answered via a questionnaire.

Daily supplement and placebo groups entered data regarding pain and swelling at the baseline entry that was comparable at 70 percent. Following a two year period, an analysis revealed no statistical difference of frequency or severity of joint pain or swelling.

Dr. Chlebowski concludes the following, via the release: "Joint symptoms are relatively common in postmenopausal women. However, daily supplementation with 1,000 mg of calcium carbonate and 400 IU of vitamin D3 in a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial setting did not reduce the self-reported frequency or severity of joint symptoms."

Dr. Chlebowski and his team add that these findings do not speak against current recommendations for vitamin D intakes for bone health and fracture risk reduction.

More information regarding this study can be found in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.