Physical Wellness

Scientists Find No Significant Connection Between Vitamin D Levels And Menopause Symptoms

By Kamal Nayan | Update Date: Apr 16, 2014 10:14 AM EDT

A new study from the Women's Health Initiative has concluded that low vitamin D levels might not be a culprit in menopause symptoms. 

Around 530 women were the part of the study in which researchers analyzed the relationship between the blood levels of vitamin D and a number of menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbance, concentration and forgetfulness. 

Researchers said there was a good reason to look for a link as several other studies have implied some relationships in past. Recently a study concluded that breast cancer patients with higher vitamin D levels have fewer hot flashes and other symptoms than women with lower levels. Another study highlighted the fact that supplementing vitamin D can improve mood in other groups of people and its deficiency can result in muscle and joint pain.

Researchers added that estrogen also played a role in activating vitamin D, implying the fact that the estrogen deficiency that comes with menopause could worsen any problems with vitamin D deficiency. 

The number of symptoms and vitamin D levels had a borderline significant relationship at first, but after the analysts adjusted for multiple comparisons, the association disappeared. And in looking at multiple comparisons, no individual menopause symptoms were significantly associated with vitamin D either, read the press release. 

"With so many women taking vitamin D supplements these days, it is good to know what it can and cannot do. We need to be realistic in our expectations," said NAMS Executive Director Margery Gass, MD, in the press release. 

However, researchers cautioned that the study didn't entirely prove that vitamin D levels and menopause symptoms are not connected as the sample of women they had with enough data was relatively small.

The study has been published in the journal Menopause.

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