There was a suggestion that whole-body or lumbar spine BMD may be a useful biomarker in older people but not in adolescents .
This systematic review confirmed that circulating 25(OH)D is a robust and reliable marker of vitamin D status .
BACKGROUND Although serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [ 25(OH)D ] is the currently accepted vitamin D status marker of choice , use of other biomarkers or functional endpoints have been suggested .
OBJECTIVE The objective was to systematic ally review the effectiveness of 25(OH)D , parathyroid hormone ( PTH ) , bone turnover markers , bone mineral density ( BMD ) , and calcium absorption as biomarkers of vitamin D status .
Supplementation with oral vitamin D3 and calcium during winter prevents seasonal bone loss: a randomized controlled open-label prospective trial.
UNLABELLED Bone metabolism follows a seasonal pattern with high bone turnover and bone loss during the winter . In a r and omized , open-label 2-year sequential follow-up study of 55 healthy adults , we found that supplementation with oral vitamin D3 and calcium during winter abolished seasonal changes in calciotropic hormones and markers of bone turnover and led to an increase in BMD . Supplementation with oral vitamin D3 and calcium during the winter months seems to counteract the effects of seasonal changes in vitamin D and thus may be beneficial as a primary prevention strategy for age-related bone loss . INTRODUCTION Bone metabolism follows a seasonal pattern characterized by high bone turnover and bone loss during winter . We investigated whether wintertime supplementation with oral vitamin D3 and calcium had beneficial effects on the circannual changes in bone turnover and bone mass . MATERIAL S AND METHODS This prospect i ve study comprised an initial observation period of 12 months ( " year 1 " ) , followed by an intervention during parts of year 2 . Fifty-five healthy subjects living in southwestern Germany ( latitude , 49.5 degrees N ) were r and omized into two groups : 30 subjects were assigned to the treatment group and received oral cholecalciferol ( 500 IU/day ) and calcium ( 500 mg/day ) during the winter months of year 2 ( October-April ) , while 25 subjects assigned to the control group obtained no supplements . Primary endpoints were changes in calciotropic hormones [ serum 25(OH)D , 1,25(OH)2D , and parathyroid hormone ] , markers of bone formation ( serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase ) and of bone resorption ( urinary pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline ) , and changes in lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD . RESULTS Forty-three subjects completed the study . During year 1 , calciotropic hormones , markers of bone turnover , and BMD varied by season in both groups . During the winter months of year 1 , bone turnover was significantly accelerated , and lumbar spine and femoral BMD declined by 0.3 - 0.9 % . In year 2 , seasonal changes in calciotropic hormones and markers of bone turnover were either reversed or abolished in the intervention group while unchanged in the control cohort . In the subjects receiving oral vitamin D3 and calcium , lumbar and femoral BMD increased significantly ( lumbar spine : + 0.8 % , p = 0.04 versus year 1 ; femoral neck : + 0.1 % , p = 0.05 versus year 1 ) , whereas controls continued to lose bone ( intervention group versus control group : lumbar spine , p = 0.03 ; femoral neck , p = 0.05 ) . CONCLUSIONS Supplementation with oral vitamin D3 and calcium during winter prevents seasonal changes in bone turnover and bone loss in healthy adults . It seems conceivable that annually recurring cycles of low vitamin D and mild secondary hyperparathyroidism during the winter months contributes , at least in part and over many years , to age-related bone loss . Supplementation with low-dose oral vitamin D3 and calcium during winter may be an efficient and inexpensive strategy for the primary prevention of bone loss in northern latitudes
There was a suggestion that whole-body or lumbar spine BMD may be a useful biomarker in older people but not in adolescents .
This systematic review confirmed that circulating 25(OH)D is a robust and reliable marker of vitamin D status .
BACKGROUND Although serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [ 25(OH)D ] is the currently accepted vitamin D status marker of choice , use of other biomarkers or functional endpoints have been suggested .
OBJECTIVE The objective was to systematic ally review the effectiveness of 25(OH)D , parathyroid hormone ( PTH ) , bone turnover markers , bone mineral density ( BMD ) , and calcium absorption as biomarkers of vitamin D status .