Published on July 12, 2021
Study concludes that vitamin D and calcium supplementation decrease chronic non-specific musculoskeletal pain
Vitamin D provides many benefits to musculoskeletal health, including having a role in muscle function, coordination, balance, inflammation, and tissue repair and healing after an injury. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with neuromuscular diseases, muscle weakness and increased risk of injury, as well as chronic pain. In fact, an analysis of GrassrootsHealth participants showed a decrease in reported pain scores with increasing vitamin D levels.
What is Chronic, Non-Specific Musculoskeletal Pain?
Chronic, Non-Specific Musculoskeletal Pain (CNMP) is pain that is present in the bones, muscles, joints, or connective tissue of more than one region of the body that has been present for three months or longer. The cause or origin of the pain is usually unknown, and it often affects both the mental and physical wellbeing, as well as overall quality of life for those suffering from it.
Could Vitamin D Help with CNMP?
A study by Goyal and Agrawal enrolled 50 patients suffering from chronic, non-specific musculoskeletal pain to see how vitamin D and calcium supplementation affected their pain levels. All patients were between the ages of 30-60 years old, and were given doses of 60,000 IU vitamin D each week for the first month, followed by 60,000 IU vitamin D once per month for the next two months. 1000 mg calcium was given on a daily basis for the entire 3 months. Along with pre- and post- intervention levels of vitamin D, calcium, and pain, levels of physical activity, fatigue, mood, and sleep were also compared.
Pain was measured on a scale of 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain), with 2 or less categorized as low, 4-6 as moderate, and 8-10 as severe pain. At the beginning of the study, 36% of the participants had severe chronic pain and 56% had moderate chronic pain, with an average pain score of 6.22 and an average vitamin D level of 17.38 ng/ml (43 nmol/L).
After three months of supplementation, the average pain level decreased significantly (by 43%) to 3.52, with an increased average vitamin D level of 39.40 ng/ml (98 nmol/L). Physical activity levels also increased significantly, while weight and waist to hip ratio decreased significantly among the participants. Other noticed changes post-intervention included improvements in fatigue, sleep, and mood.
This study showed that the risk of vitamin D deficiency was high among those experiencing persistent, nonspecific musculoskeletal pain; in fact, the authors suggest that the pain could be due to vitamin D deficiency itself.
Make Sure You Are Getting Enough Vitamin D and Other Important Nutrients
Having and maintaining healthy vitamin D levels and other nutrient levels can help improve your health now and for your future. Choose which to measure, such as your vitamin D, omega-3s, and essential minerals including magnesium and zinc, by creating your custom home test kit today. Take steps to improve the status of each of these measurements to benefit your overall health. You can also track your own intakes, symptoms and results to see what works best for YOU.
Enroll and test your levels today, learn what steps to take to improve your status of vitamin D (see below) and other nutrients and blood markers, and take action! By enrolling in the GrassrootsHealth projects, you are not only contributing valuable information to everyone, you are also gaining knowledge about how you could improve your own health through measuring and tracking your nutrient status, and educating yourself on how to improve it.
Help everyone Move Research into Practice with vitamin D and other nutrients! As a special birthday gift to everyone, in honor of the science, we have created a special scholarship fund for anyone to donate to that will go towards helping others participate. Your donation will allow anyone to get help with funding their participation when they need it.
Text-to-give: Text Daction to 44321 to add to our Scholarship Fund.
Important Message
Help everyone Move Research into Practice with vitamin D and other nutrients! As a special birthday gift to everyone, in honor of the science, we have created a special scholarship fund for anyone to donate to that will go towards helping others participate. Your donation will allow anyone to get help with funding their participation when they need it.
Text-to-give: Text Daction to 44321 to add to our Scholarship Fund.
Donations made through GiveLively are received in full by GrassrootsHealth.
What Does it Take YOU to Get Your D to 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L)?
Did you know your health could be greatly affected by making sure you have a vitamin D level of at least 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L)? Help us help you.
STEP 1 - Do you know what your vitamin D level is? If not, be sure to test today to find out.
STEP 2 – Determine your target level. Are you at your target level? Experts recommend a level of at least 40-60 ng/ml (100-150 nmol/L).
STEP 3 – Need to boost your level? Use the D*calculator to see how much vitamin D it may take to reach your target. Opt for the Loading Dose for a quicker boost.
STEP 4 – Optimize how your body absorbs and utilizes vitamin D with co-nutrients and these simple steps.
STEP 5 – Re-Test! This is an important step to make sure you have reached your target level, and to ensure you are not taking too much! Re-testing after 3-4 months is recommended.
STEP 6 – Adjust, Repeat…
Give your immune system the nutrients it needs to support a healthy you and protect yourself from unnecessary diseases, especially COVID-19.
NEWS ALERT
The first Randomized Controlled Trial on vitamin D and COVID-19 has shown a 96% lower risk of ICU admission for those receiving vitamin D (as 25(OH)D to quickly boost vitamin D blood levels) along with the standard treatment, compared to those receiving standard treatment alone.
These results support many previous observational studies showing a relationship between vitamin D levels and intake and COVID-19 severity.
Review the Latest Nutrient Research for COVID-19
GrassrootsHealth Nutrient Research Institute has launched the new Immune Boost project with the use of our myData-myAnswers nutrient health system that nearly 15,000 people are already using for their health. Specific markers that influence immune health are suggested for testing as part of this project including:
- Vitamin D
- Omega-3 Index
- Essential elements magnesium, selenium, and zinc
- hsCRP
Our goal is to demonstrate how one can use the Nutrient Research Model established by Dr. Robert Heaney to show the effect of vitamin D serum levels of at least 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L) on risk reduction for all ethnicities in the population. Status and intake of other nutrients will also be analyzed for any type of relationship to immune status and symptom severity. Join the project today!
Please let us know if you're interested in helping sponsor this project.
CLICK HERE for updates and new information about the project.
Through GrassrootsHealth Nutrient Research Institute, you can also test your essential elements magnesium, copper, zinc and selenium, toxins such as lead, mercury and cadmium, as well as your omega-3 levels, inflammation levels and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level. Find out your levels today! Log on to the test selection page (click the link below) to get your tests and see for yourself if your levels can be improved.
Make sure you track your results before and after, about every 6 months!
Click Here to Access the Test Page
How can I track my nutrient intake and levels over time?
To help you track your supplement use and nutrient levels, GrassrootsHealth has created the Personal Health Nutrient Decision System called
For each specific supplement, you can track what days you take it, how much, and many other details. This will help you know your true supplemental intake and what patterns of use work for you to reach and maintain optimum nutrient levels. Check it out today!