Research
Micronutrients & recovery
Vitamin D supplementation (700-1000 IU/day) reduces the risk of falls in the elderly, particularly those with baseline low vitamin D levels, but high-dose intermittent regimens may increase fall risk.
If you are elderly and have low vitamin D, taking 700-1000 IU daily can help reduce your risk of falling. Do not take high-dose annual supplements (like 500,000 IU once a year), as these may actually increase your risk of falling and fractures. Stick to daily dosing.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Several meta-analyses showed decreasing risks of falls in the elderly after vitamin D repletion with doses 700e1000 international units (IU) per day... However, subsequent reviews stated that vitamin D alone or in combination with calcium did not significantly reduce the risk of falls and fractures in community-dwelling adults... Another large trial by Sanders et al. found an even higher risk of falls and fractures when using high-dose vitamin D (single high dose 500000IU annually...)
Why this rating
Based on meta-analyses and large trials, but results are contradictory regarding community-dwelling adults.
Source
Vitamin D and health - The missing vitamin in humans
Szu‐Wen Chang et al. · Pediatrics & Neonatology · 2019
DOI 10.1016/j.pedneo.2019.04.007
narrative_reviewCited 393×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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