Calcium Supplementation with and without Hormone Replacement Therapy To Prevent Postmenopausal Bone Loss

Objective: To determine whether augmentation of dietary calcium is effective in the prevention of early postmenopausal bone loss. Design: Three-arm, placebo-controlled, randomized parallel trial. The study duration was 2.9±1.1 (SD) years. Setting: General community. Participants: 118 healthy, white women 3 to 6 years after spontaneous menopause, recruited by community announcement. Interventions: Random allocation to daily intake of 1700 mg of calcium (calcium carbonate given in divided doses with meals); placebo; or conjugated equine estrogens (0.625 mg; days 1 to 25), progesterone (10 mg; days 16 to 25), and 1700 mg of elemental calcium daily. Each participant received 400 IU of vitamin D daily