Calcium, vitamin D co-supplementation beneficial for lipid-lowering

Co-supplementation with calcium and vitamin D yields improvements in total cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, according to a study.

Researchers conducted a systematic review and searched multiple online databases for placebo-controlled randomized controlled trials that evaluated the impact of calcium and vitamin D co-supplementation on lipids. They identified 13 studies, with a total population of 2,304 individuals, for inclusion in the meta-analysis.

Pooled data revealed that calcium and vitamin D co-supplementation was associated with significant reductions in both total cholesterol (standardized mean difference [SMD], −0.81; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], −1.35 to –0.27; I2, 94.6 percent) and triglycerides (SMD, –0.50, 95 percent CI, –0.91 to –0.08; I2, 91.5 percent).

Co-supplementation also led to a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (SMD, 1.22, 95 percent CI, 0.60–1.83; I2, 95.4 percent).

However, co-supplementation with calcium and vitamin D had no substantial effect on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (SMD, –0.39, 95 percent CI, –0.78 to 0.01; I2, 90.1 percent) or very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (SMD, –0.01, 95 percent CI, –0.70 to 0.69; I2, 82.3 percent).

Further well-designed randomized controlled trials with bigger populations are warranted in order to establish the effect of calcium and vitamin D co-supplementation on all lipid-profile components.