Cardiovascular disease-risk factors in middle-aged osteopaenic women treated with calcium alone or combined to three nutrients essential to artery and bone collagen.

Recent research suggests that cardiovascular disease (CVD) and bone loss are functionally interwoven. This study examined the concomitant effects of a nutritional treatment of osteopaenia on CVD-risk factors. A 1-year placebo-controlled trial was conducted on middle-aged women with normal (group A) or low (groups B and C) bone mineral density. Subjects (n = 20 per group) took daily either a placebo, calcium carbonate alone or combined to a vitamin (C and B(6))-proline capsule, respectively. Urinary pyridoxic acid (used to assess treatment compliance), plasma homocysteine, serum lipids and lipoproteins were measured before and after nutritional intervention. Groups were comparable at baseline in most parameters of interest. No changes occurred in groups A and B. The 4%, 7% and 25% reductions of total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides, and 14% elevation of HDL were all significant in group C. A trend toward reduction was observed for homocysteine in this group. Vitamins C (500 mg) and B(6) (75 mg) combined with proline had consistent beneficial effects on CVD-risk factors, whereas calcium alone did not. This study also underlined the importance of considering vitamin B(6) status as a potential CVD risk factor.