Research
Micronutrients & recovery
Oral vitamin D supplementation at a dose of 700 to 800 IU per day significantly reduces the risk of hip and nonvertebral fractures in elderly persons, whereas a dose of 400 IU per day provides no significant benefit.
If you are over 60, standard 400 IU vitamin D is likely insufficient to prevent fractures. Aim for 700-800 IU daily (cholecalciferol). This dose reduces hip fracture risk by 26% and other fractures by 23%. While many trials included calcium, the high-dose vitamin D effect appears robust even without massive calcium supplementation.
StrongQualifiesHIGH confidence
A vitamin D dose of 700 to 800 IU/d reduced the relative risk (RR) of hip fracture by 26%... and any nonvertebral fracture by 23%... No significant benefit was observed for RCTs with 400 IU/d vitamin D.
Why this rating
Meta-analysis of 7-9 high-quality double-blind RCTs with large sample sizes (n>9000).
Source
Fracture Prevention With Vitamin D Supplementation
Heike A. Bischoff‐Ferrari et al. · JAMA · 2005
Meta-analysis · 7 studiesCited 1,525×
Read the paper This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →