Research
Micronutrients & recovery
Daily supplementation with vitamin D (400-800 IU) combined with calcium (1000-1200 mg) reduces the risk of hip fracture by 16% in older adults, whereas vitamin D alone provides no significant fracture protection.
If you are an older adult looking to prevent hip fractures, taking Vitamin D alone is likely ineffective. You should take a daily combination of Vitamin D (400-800 IU) and Calcium (1000-1200 mg). This specific combination has been shown to significantly reduce hip fracture risk, whereas Vitamin D by itself does not.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
In contrast, a meta-analysis of 6 RCTs (49 282 participants, 5449 fractures, 730 hip fractures) of combined supplementation with vitamin D (daily doses of 400-800 IU, yielding a median difference in 25[OH]D concentration of 9.2 ng/mL) and calcium (daily doses of 1000-1200 mg) found a 6% reduced risk of any fracture (RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.89-0.99) and a 16% reduced risk of hip fracture (RR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.72-0.97).
Why this rating
Based on a systematic review and meta-analysis of 6 large RCTs (n=49,282), though the authors note a high risk of bias in the included trials.
Source
Vitamin D and Calcium for the Prevention of Fracture
Pang Yao et al. · JAMA Network Open · 2019
Meta-analysis · 17 studiesCited 331×
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