Vitamin D Supplementation and Bone Mass Accrual in Underprivileged Adolescent Indian Girls

• Published in: Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol. 19; no. 4; pp. 465 - 472
• Main Authors: Khadilkar, Anuradha V, Sayyad, Mehmood G, Sanwalka, Neha J, Bhandari, Dhanshari R, Naik, Sadanand, Khadilkar, Vaman V, Mughal, M Zulf
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia HEC Press 01.12.2010
• Subjects: Adolescent; Biomarkers - blood; Bone and Bones - drug effects; Bone densitometry; Bone Density - drug effects; Bone Density Conservation Agents - blood; Bone Density Conservation Agents - therapeutic use; Bone Remodeling - drug effects; Calcium Carbonate - administration & dosage; Calcium in the body; Child development; Children & youth; Dietary Supplements; Double-Blind Method; Female; Girls; Humans; India; Lumbar Vertebrae - drug effects; Nutrition; Pilot Projects; Poverty; Teenagers; Therapeutic use; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - analogs & derivatives; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D - therapeutic use; Vitamin D deficiency; Vitamin D in human nutrition; Vitamin deficiency; India; United States > US; 維生素D; PTH; 甲狀旁腺激素; vitamin D; 印度; 初經; calcium intake; 鈣攝取; menarche; India
• ISSN: 0964-7058; 1440-6047
• DOI: 10.6133/apjcn.2010.19.4.03

Vitamin D deficiency is common among children and adolescents in India, in spite of abundant sunshine. We conducted a pilot; double blind randomised controlled trial to investigate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on bone mineral content in underprivileged adolescent girls, in Pune, India. Fifty post-menarcheal girls aged 14 to 15 years were randomised to receive 300,000 IU (7.5 mg) of ergocalciferol or placebo orally, 4 times/year. All participants received 250 mg elemental calcium (calcium carbonate) daily. Outcome measures included change in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, size adjusted bone area and bone mineral content at total body and lumbar spine. Post supplementation, the median serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D was 75.2 (64.2-85.5) nmol/L in the intervention group and 28.1 (16.7-34.0) nmol/L in the placebo group. Increment in bone outcome measures was not different in the two groups. However, there was a positive effect of intervention in the size adjusted total body bone area (p<0.05), total body bone mineral content (p<0.05) and lumbar spine bone mineral content (p<0.05), and positive trend in lumbar spine bone area (p=0.07) in girls who were within 2 years of menarche. We conclude that vitamin D supplementation did not have a beneficial effect on skeletal mineralization in girls who were more than 2 years post menarcheal. However, there was a significant positive effect of the intervention on size adjusted total body and lumbar spine bone mineral content and a positive trend in lumbar spine bone area, in girls who were less or equal 2 years of menarche.