Results from the international VITALITY study show that inexpensive nutritional supplements containing vitamin D and calcium can strengthen bone health in HIV-positive adolescents.
HIV infection can significantly impair the physical development of children and adolescents. Possible consequences include delayed growth, delayed puberty, reduced muscle mass, and low bone density. The latter can increase the risk of bone fractures. To counteract this risk, it is very important to strengthen bones in early adolescence.
A recent international study has now shown that high-dose vitamin D and calcium tablets can significantly improve bone density in HIV-infected adolescents. A total of 842 HIV-positive adolescents aged 11 to 19 from clinics in Harare (Zimbabwe) and Lusaka (Zambia) participated in the study. All participants were already receiving antiretroviral therapy. This suppresses the replication of the virus in the body and reduces the viral load to a low level.
Over a period of 48 weeks, the adolescents took 20,000 international units of vitamin D and 500 mg of calcium carbonate daily in the form of chewable tablets. Bone density was measured using a special X-ray method called dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).
The Vitality Team found that the bone mineral density of the spine in adolescents who received vitamin D and calcium increased by 41 percent more within one year than in the placebo group. Based on these results, the scientists estimate that the risk of bone fractures could be reduced by around 10 percent within one year.
“Our study shows that simple and inexpensive measures can achieve a lot and sustainably improve the bone health of adolescents with HIV. These results are particularly important for regions of the world where many adolescents do not get enough vitamin D from their diet and HIV infections are common,” sums up Prof. Ulrich E. Schaible, Center Director of the Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center, and spokesperson for the research alliance Leibniz INFECTIONS.
The VITALITY study was funded by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and conducted by an international team from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the Biomedical Research and Training Institute in Zimbabwe, the University Teaching Hospital Lusaka, the Universities of Bristol and Oxford, and the Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center. The study is an associated project of the research alliance Leibniz INFECTIONS.
Further Information
https://www.vitality-trial.co.uk/
Source
Ferrand RA et al.; VITALITY trial team. Impact of high-dose vitamin D and calcium carbonate supplementation on bone density in adolescents living with HIV: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2025 Dec 11:S2352-4642(25)00301-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2352-4642(25)00301-3
https://publications.edctp.org/international-partnerships-against-infectious-diseases/vitality