Effect of vitamin D on musculoskeletal pain and headache: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial among adult ethnic minorities in Norway
PAIN, Available online 23 September 2014
Kirsten V. Knutsena, k.i.v.knutsen at medisin.uio.no , Ahmed A. Madarb, Mette Brekkea, Haakon E. Meyerb, c, Bård Natviga, Ibrahimu Mdalaa, Per Lagerløva
Subjects were probably at a Pain clinic – the abstract does not indicate
93% had pain in the 2 weeks prior to the RCT, 63% with headache
1000 IU daily for 16 weeks increased vitamin D blood levels from 10 ng to 21 ng
‘Pain scores and headache scores were improved’
‘But no significant effect on’ . . . seems to conflict with their previous statement
Comment by VitaminDWiki: Improvements are rarely seen for vitamin D levels less than 30 ng ( ~ 2,000 IU)
Immigrants from South Asia, the Middle East and Africa living in Northern Europe frequently have low vitamin D levels and more pain compared to the native Western population. The aim of this study was to examine whether daily vitamin D3 (25 μg/d or 10 μg/d) supplementation for 16 weeks would improve musculoskeletal pain or headache compared to placebo.
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial recruited 251 participants aged 18 to 50 years, and 215 (86%) attended the follow-up visit.
The pain measures were occurrence, anatomical localization and degree of musculoskeletal pain, as measured by visual analogue scale score (VAS) during the past two weeks. Headache was measured with VAS and the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) questionnaire. At baseline, females reported more pain sites (4.7) than males (3.4), and only 7% reported no pain the past two weeks. During the past 4 weeks, 63% reported headache with a high mean HIT-6 score of 60 (SD 7).
At follow-up, vitamin D level, measured as serum 25(OH)D3 increased from 27 nmol/l to 52 nmol/l and from 27 nmol/l to 43 nmol/l in the 25 μg and 10 μg supplementation groups, respectively, whereas serum 25(OH)D3 did not change in the placebo group. Pain scores and headache scores were improved at follow-up compared with baseline. The use of vitamin D supplements, however, showed no significant effect on the occurrence, anatomical localization, and degree of pain or headache compared to placebo.
[http://www.painjournalonline.com/article/S0304-3959(14)00447-3/abstract|Publisher wants $31 for the PDF
See also VitaminDWiki
Pages listed in BOTH the categories Pain and Darker Skin
- Vitality recaptured with Vitamin D (stories of Swedish immigrant women in this case) – Dec 2019
- Pain following auto accident is worse if low vitamin D (for African Americans) – April 2015
- Dark skinned in Norway: 1000 IU vitamin D not enough to reduce pain – RCT Sept 2014
- Most immigrant women in Sweden had little vitamin D and lots of muscle pain – May 2013
- Sleep disorder and nonspecific pain implies low vitamin D, especially if dark skin – March 2013
- 150,000 IU vitamin D reduced pain in immigrants – RCT Dec 2012
- Blacks had lower vitamin D and more quantifiable pain than whites with knee osteoarthritis – Nov 2012