Calcium Supplementation May Improve Body Composition in Postmenopausal Women

Calcium Supplementation May Improve Body Composition in Postmenopausal Women

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Reference: “The effect of calcium and vitamin D supplementation on obesity in postmenopausal women: secondary analysis for a large-scale, placebo controlled, double-blind, 4-year longitudinal clinical trial,” Zhou J, Lappe JM, et al, Nutr Metab (Lond), 2010; 7(1): 62. (Address: 601 North 30th Street, Omaha, NE 68131, USA. E-mail: lanjuanzhao@creighton.edu ).

Summary: In a population-based, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study involving 870 postmenopausal women, results indicate that long-term calcium supplementation may exert a beneficial effect on body composition. The women were randomized to one of three groups for a period of 4 years: 1) Ca-group: received calcium supplementation (1400 mg/d or 1500 mg/d) + vitamin D placebo; 2) Ca+D group: received supplementation with calcium (1400 mg/d or 1500 mg/d) plus vitamin D (1100 IU/d); 3) placebo group: received two placebos. At intervention end, the calcium supplemented groups showed less gain in trunk fat and more trunk lean compared with the placebo group. Thus, the authors of this study conclude, “Calcium supplementation over four years has a beneficial effect on body composition in postmenopausal women.”