Trial reportOsteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA2015
Calcifediol versus vitamin D3 effects on gait speed and trunk sway in young postmenopausal women: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of cholecalciferol versus calcifediol on serum 25(OH)D concentrations: a systematic review with meta-analysis.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Vitamin D Supplementation Improves Handgrip Strength in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022Pooled it
- Calcifediol is superior to cholecalciferol in improving vitamin D status in postmenopausal women: a randomized trial.Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Correction of vitamin D status by calcidiol: pharmacokinetic profile, safety, and biochemical effects on bone and mineral metabolism of daily and weekly dosage regimens.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2017Trial
- Role of vitamin D supplementation in the management of musculoskeletal diseases: update from an European Society of Clinical and Economical Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO) working group.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2022Review
- Vitamin D Sources, Metabolism, and Deficiency: Available Compounds and Guidelines for Its Treatment.Metabolites · 2021Review
- Is calcifediol better than cholecalciferol for vitamin D supplementation?Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2018Review
- Role of vitamin D in energy and bone metabolism in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A 6-month follow-up evaluation.Journal of diabetes investigation · 2018Article
- Oral calcidiol is a good form of vitamin D supplementation.Clinical cases in mineral and bone metabolism : the official journal of the Italian Society of Osteoporosis, Mineral Metabolism, and Skeletal DiseasesReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
unlabelledIn this double-blind RCT, 4-month treatment with calcifediol compared with vitamin D3 improved gait speed by 18% among young postmenopausal women. Consistently, change in 25(OH)D blood levels over time were significantly correlated with improvement in gait speed in these women. No effect could be demonstrated for trunk sway.
introductionThe aim of this study is to test the effect of calcifediol compared with vitamin D3 on gait speed and trunk sway.
methodsTwenty healthy postmenopausal women with an average 25(OH)D level of 13.2 ng/ml (SD = ±3.9) and a mean age of 61.5 years (SD = ±7.2) were randomized to either 20 μg of calcifediol or 20 μg (800 IU) of vitamin D3 per day in a double-blind manner. At baseline and at 4 months of follow-up, the same physiotherapist blinded to treatment allocation tested 8-m gait speed and a body sway test battery (Sway star pitch and roll angle plus velocity while walking 8 m, and standing on both legs on a hard and soft surface). All analyses adjusted for baseline measurement, age, and body mass index.
resultsMean 25(OH)D levels increased to 69.3 ng/ml (SD = ±9.5) in the calcifediol group and to 30.5 ng/ml (SD = ±5.0) in the vitamin D3 group (p < 0.0001). Women receiving calcifediol compared with vitamin D3 had an 18% greater improvement in gait speed at 4-month follow-up (p = 0.046) adjusting for baseline gait speed, age, and body mass index. Also, change in gait speed was significantly correlated with change in serum 25(OH)D concentrations (r = 0.5; p = 0.04). Across three tests of trunk sway, there were no consistent differences between groups and no significant correlation between change in 25(OH)D serum concentrations and change in trunk sway.
conclusionsCalcifediol improved gait speed in early postmenopausal women compared with vitamin D3 and change in 25(OH)D level was moderately correlated with improvement in gait speed. A benefit on trunk sway could not be demonstrated.
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