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Vitamin D supplementation has no effect on bone mineral density in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury - results from a randomized controlled trial.

  • 2025-11-20
  • Spinal cord 64(2)
    • Anneke Hertig-Godeschalk
    • Joelle L Flueck
    • Claudio Perret
    • Anke Scheel-Sailer
    • Martin W G Brinkhof
    • Rajeev K Verma

Study Design

Type
Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)
Population
42 individuals with chronic SCI and insufficient 25(OH)D levels
Methods
Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group, superiority trial; participants received placebo, medium-dose (24'000 IU once every four weeks), or high-dose (24'000 IU once every two weeks) D3 supplementation for 12 months
Blinding
Double-blind
Duration
12 months
Funding
Unclear

Study design

Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group, superiority trial.

Objective

Sufficient vitamin D levels (serum 25(OH)D > 75 nmol/L) are essential for bone health. The prevalence of insufficient 25(OH)D levels and osteoporosis is high in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). This study presents secondary outcomes from the VitD-SCI trial, which evaluated the effect of two D3 supplementation doses over a 12-month period on bone mineral density (BMD) in individuals with chronic SCI.

Setting

Swiss SCI clinic.

Methods

Forty-two individuals living with SCI for at least three years (seven females, mean age 48 ± 10 years, 18 ± 13 years since SCI onset) and having insufficient 25(OH)D levels were included. Participants were randomized to receive placebo, medium-dose (24'000 IU once every four weeks), or high-dose (24'000 IU once every two weeks) D3 supplementation for 12 months. At baseline and 12 months, 25(OH)D levels and BMD (measured at the radius, femoral neck, distal femur, and proximal tibia) were assessed.

Results

Thirty-three percent of participants who received supplementation achieved sufficient 25(OH)D levels. No effect of D3 supplementation on BMD was observed when comparing baseline to 12 months, regardless of the measurement site. None of the investigated parameters, including lesion level or smoking status, modified the effect under examination.

Conclusion

Twelve months of D3 supplementation showed no effect on BMD in individuals with chronic SCI. This study highlights the complexity of SCI-specific physiological mechanisms that may interfere with the response to D3 supplementation and its impact on bone health in this population.

Research Insights

  • Vitamin D→Increased Total Hip Bone Mineral Density

    No effect of D3 supplementation on BMD was observed when comparing baseline to 12 months, regardless of the measurement site.

    Effect
    Neutral
    Effect size
    Small
    Dose
    24,000 IU every 2-4 weeks (medium-dose: 24,000 IU every 4 weeks; high-dose: 24,000 IU every 2 weeks)
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