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CompletedNCT01179503Updated Aug 17, 2018

Vitamin D Supplementation and Physical Function in Older Adults

An Early Phase 1 interventional study of calcium and Vitamin D plus calcium in Physical Function and Vitamin D Insufficiency, sponsored by Wake Forest University Health Sciences. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 70 Years to 89 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2018-08-17.

Sponsored by Wake Forest University Health Sciences · Early Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was May 2011, 15 years 5 months ago, and no results have been posted to the registry.
Phase
Early Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
16
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
70 Years to 89 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

A growing body of evidence suggests that vitamin D status is important in biologic processes involved in the maintenance of physical function. To advance the investigators understanding of the role of vitamin D in physical function, the investigators will conduct a feasibility pilot study to collect key information to help design a full-scale randomized trial to determine whether vitamin D supplementation will delay declines in physical function. The primary goals of the pilot study are to determine cost-effective strategies for identifying persons at high risk for functional decline with insufficient vitamin D levels, determine the serum vitamin D response to a vitamin D supplementation regimen designed to attain sufficient vitamin D levels, and provide preliminary data of key functional measures (balance, physical performance and muscle power) for the future larger study design. A secondary goal is to begin to examine potential mechanisms by which vitamin D supplementation may enhance physical performance by exploring the effects of vitamin D supplementation on changes in skeletal muscle gene expression.

Read the detailed description

A growing body of evidence suggests that vitamin D status is important in biologic processes involved in the maintenance of physical function. However, whether remediation of vitamin D insufficiency will improve physical function and the potential mechanisms involved are unclear. Previous vitamin D supplementation trials have produced mixed results with respect to physical function; however, most trials did not specifically recruit individuals who were vitamin D insufficient nor is the potential mechanism of action understood well enough to appropriately select those individuals most likely to benefit. To advance our understanding of the role of vitamin D in physical function, the investigators will conduct a feasibility pilot study to collect key information to help design a full-scale randomized trial to determine whether vitamin D supplementation will delay declines in physical function. The primary goals of the pilot study are to determine cost-effective strategies for identifying persons at high risk for functional decline with insufficient vitamin D levels, determine the serum vitamin D response to a vitamin D supplementation regimen designed to attain sufficient vitamin D levels, and provide preliminary data of key functional measures (balance, short physical performance battery (SBBP) and muscle power) for the future larger study design. A secondary goal is to begin to examine potential mechanisms by which vitamin D supplementation may enhance physical performance and muscle contractility by exploring the effects of vitamin D supplementation on changes in skeletal muscle gene expression using microarrays.

02

Conditions studied

  • Physical Function
  • Vitamin D Insufficiency

Keywords

  • vitamin D
  • physical performance
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Wake Forest University Health Sciences is the lead sponsor of 1,320 studies on the registry; 199 are open to participants now.

Of its 323 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 243 (75%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
70 Years to 89 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score of ≥ 4 to \< 10
  • Vitamin D insufficient (serum 25(OH)D ≥ 10 to \< 25 ng/mL)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Serious or uncontrolled chronic disease including: insulin-dependent or uncontrolled diabetes; cancer requiring treatment in past year, except non-melanoma skin cancers; past or current ischemic heart disease, uncontrolled angina, heart failure, peripheral artery disease (PAD), or stroke; chronic respiratory disease; uncontrolled endocrine/metabolic disease; neurological or hematological disease; liver or renal dysfunction; and severe musculoskeletal impairment
  • Impaired cognitive function (MMSE ≤ 24)
  • Dependent on a cane or walker
  • Use of anti-coagulants
  • Unwillingness to undergo a muscle biopsy
  • Taking prescription vitamin D2 or OCT vitamin D3 supplements of > 1000 IU/d
  • Inability or contraindications to consume daily vitamin D and calcium supplements
  • Weight loss of ≥ 5% or more in the past 6 months
  • Involved in any other intervention
05

Study design

Phase
Early Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
16 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Calcium only

    1200 mg Calcium per day

    Dietary Supplement: calcium

  • Experimental
    Vitamin D plus calcium

    2000 IU vitamin D plus 1200 mg calcium per day

    Dietary Supplement: Vitamin D plus calcium

Interventions

  • Dietary supplementcalcium

    600 mg calcium carbonate twice daily (total of 1200 mg/day) for 4 months

  • Dietary supplementVitamin D plus calcium

    1000 IU of vitamin D3 twice daily (for a total of 2000 IU/day) plus 600 mg calcium carbonate twice daily (for a total of 1200 mg/day)

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Physical performance

    Change in the expanded Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score (composite score including the following: timed 4m walk; time to stand from a chair 5 times without the use of arms; and time to hold side-by-side, semi-tandem, tandem, and one legged stands for the testing of balance)

    Time frame: 4 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Skeletal muscle gene expression

    Muscle will be obtained from the vastus lateralis using the percutaneous needle biopsy technique. Five µg of RNA will be supplied for each experimental condition to be analyzed. The WFUHS MicroArray Core Facility further purifies the provided RNA over an RNAeasy column and performs all subsequent steps of the GeneChip protocol (cDNA generation, generation of biotinylated cRNA, chip hybridization, and generation of .CEL files).

    Time frame: 4 months

  2. Change in expanded SPPB balance task time

    Change in expanded SPPB balance task time (time to hold side-by-side, semi-tandem, tandem, and one legged stands; max of 30 sec)

    Time frame: 4 months

  3. Change in narrow 4m walk test of balance time

    Change in time to complete narrow 4m walk test of balance (usual pace over 4m while staying between lines of colored tape placed 20cm apart)

    Time frame: 4 months

  4. Change in 400m walk test time

    Change in 400m walk test time (usual pace)

    Time frame: 4 months

  5. Change in knee extensor power

    Change in knee extensor power measured by the Nottingham Power Rig

    Time frame: 4 months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Wake Forest University
    Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157, United States
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 17, 2018, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01179503
Lead sponsor
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Collaborators
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Aug 11, 2010
Start date
Jan 2010
Primary completion
May 2011
Completion
May 2011
Last update
Aug 17, 2018

Study contacts

Denise K Houston, PhD
study director · Wake Forest University
Stephen B Kritchevsky, PhD
principal investigator · Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2018. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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