The Rate of Bone Mineral Loss in Normal Men and the Effects of Calcium and Cholecalciferol Supplementation

Objective: To determine the rate of bone loss in normal men, and to examine the effects of dietary calcium and cholecalciferol supplementation on bone loss in men.

Design: Double-blinded, placebo-controlled 3-year trial of supplementation with calcium (1000 mg/d) and cholecalciferol (25 micrograms/d).

Setting: Clinical research center at a university medical facility.

Subjects: Normal men 30 to 87 years old, recruited from the Portland community.

Measurements And Main Results: Radial bone mineral content (assessed by single-photon absorptiometry) fell by 1.0%/y (95% CI, -1.3% to 0.7%) at a proximal radial site and 1.0%/y (95% CI, -1.4% to -0.6%) at a distal radial site. Vertebral bone mineral content (assessed by dual-energy quantitative computed tomography) declined by 2.3%/y (95% CI, -2.8% to -1.8%). In these healthy men with a high basal dietary calcium intake (1159 mg/d), calcium and cholecalciferol supplementation did not affect bone loss at any site.

Conclusions: Normal men experience a substantial bone loss at both axial and appendicular sites that is not prevented by calcium and vitamin D supplementation in a well-nourished population.