Calcium, Vitamin D Do Not Benefit Menopausal Women: Study

Vitamin D and calcium supplements do not help women with their hot flashes during menopause, says a recent study. The research was conducted as a part of the Women's Health Initiative, during which a clinical trial of the menopausal women in the U.S. was conducted.

During the study, the researchers found that the kind of symptoms shown by the menopausal women who did not take any supplement was the same as the kind of symptoms as shown by women who took additional vitamin D and calcium supplements.

The study lasted over a period of six years and involved more than 34,000 menopausal women in the U.S. The women were aged 50 to 79. The women were monitored during the clinical trial period for the symptoms associated with menopause, including hot flashes, emotional imbalance, sleep disorders and fatigue.

Out of the sample population, 50 percent of the women consumed vitamin D and calcium supplement each day, while the other half took placebo pills. At the end of the study, the researchers noticed that both the groups showed the same number of menopausal symptoms, six on an average.

"Our study suggests that women should not rely on vitamin D and calcium supplements to relieve menopausal symptoms, but there are important caveats," said lead author Dr. Erin LeBlanc, in a statement.

LeBlanc also said that to understand the impact of vitamin D on the most severe symptoms, the researchers might have to study it in younger women. "The average age of the women at the start of our study was 64, but the average age of menopause is 51, and it's around that time that the most severe symptoms usually occur."

The complete study has been published in the journal Maturitas.