Effects of Daily Intake of Calcium and Vitamin D-Enriched Milk in Healthy Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Nutritional Study

Objective: To determine the effect of the daily intake of calcium and vitamin D-enriched milk (with or without fructooligosaccharides [FOS]) on vitamin D, bone metabolism, and cardiovascular risk factors. Materials and Methods: Two-year randomized controlled study, including 500 healthy postmenopausal women, assigned to 500mL/day of skimmed milk to one of three groups: Low-dose (L): (120mg/100mL calcium, vitamin D-3 30UI/100mL), group A: calcium and vitamin D (180mg/100mL and 120UI/100mL), and group B: calcium and vitamin D (180mg/100mL and 120UI/100mL) and FOS (5g/L). We evaluated serum 25(OH)D, bone mineral density (BMD) by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry, and biochemical data of glucose and lipid metabolism. Results: After 24 months, vitamin D concentrations did not change in the control group, but increased in group A and group B, p<0.001. We observed an increase in femoral neck BMD and an improvement in fasting plasma glucose, HbA(1c), total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B 100. Conclusions: Daily intake of milk enriched with calcium and vitamin D in postmenopausal healthy women induces a significant improvement in vitamin D status, a significant increase in BMD at femoral neck, and also favorable effects on glucose and lipid profile.