Vitamin D Benefits Bone, Lean Muscle Mass in Young Girls

BEIRUT, Lebanon--Providing vitamin D to young females before the onset of menstruation may benefit their bones and lean body mass, according to a new study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (91, 2:405-12, 2006). In the double blind, placebo-controlled study, coordinated by researchers from the Calcium Metabolism and Osteoporosis Program at the American University of Beirut, 179 girls between the ages of 10 and 17 were randomly assigned to receive weekly oral vitamin D doses of 1,400 IU or 14,000 IU for one year. Serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and vitamin D metabolites were assessed during the study; areal bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC) and body composition were measured at baseline and one year.

At the end of the study, lean mass was found to have increased significantly in both treatment groups, with bone area and total hip BMD increasing significantly in the high-dose group. In premenarcheal girls, lean mass increased significantly in both treatment groups, with consistent trends for increases in BMD and/or BMC at several skeletal sites. There was no significant change in lean mass, BMD or BMC in postmenarcheal girls.

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