Micronutrients & recovery
Daily supplementation with 400 IU or less of vitamin D and 1000 mg or less of calcium provides no benefit for the primary prevention of fractures in community-dwelling, postmenopausal women.
If you are a postmenopausal woman living independently (not in a nursing home) and do not have diagnosed osteoporosis or vitamin D deficiency, you should not take daily supplements of 400 IU vitamin D and 1000 mg calcium specifically to prevent fractures. Current evidence shows this combination does not reduce fracture risk and may increase the risk of kidney stones. Focus on diet and exercise instead.
The USPSTF found adequate evidence that daily supplementation with 400 IU or less of vitamin D and 1000 mg or less of calcium has no benefit for the primary prevention of fractures in community-dwelling, postmenopausal women.
Why this rating
Based on large RCTs (e.g., WHI, n=36,282) with moderate certainty, though some studies were underpowered for higher doses.
Source
Vitamin D, Calcium, or Combined Supplementation for the Primary Prevention of Fractures in Community-Dwelling Adults
US Preventive Services Task Force et al. · JAMA · 2018
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