No evidence that calcium and vitamin D prevent fractures

A study in this week's British Medical Journal (BMJ) finds no evidence that calcium and vitamin D supplements reduce the risk of fractures in older women living in the community.

The researchers identified 3,314 women aged 70 and over and at high risk of hip fracture from primary care clinics. The women were randomly split into two groups.

The treatment group received advice from a practice nurse on how to reduce the risk of fracture and were given calcium and vitamin D tablets to take daily. The control group received only a leaflet on diet and prevention of falls. All women were monitored for an average of two years.

Over the monitoring period, fracture rates were lower than expected but did not significantly differ between the groups. There was no evidence that supplements reduced the risk of fractures or falling, or improved quality of life.

Putting this study in the context of other trials suggests that calcium and vitamin D supplementation may not be an effective intervention for reducing fractures in primary care, conclude the authors.

Contact:
David Torgerson, Director of York Trials Unit, Department of Health
Sciences, University of York, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1904 321 340; Mobile: +44 (0)7803 901 536
Email: [email protected]

Click here to view full paper

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Low vitamin D levels linked to higher diabetes risk in older adults, study finds