Nutrients Support Bone Health

A new study examined previous research indicating the efficacy of supplementation with calcium and vitamin D on preventing bone fractures in older adults. Previous study data has demonstrated that approximately one in two women and one in four men over age 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. Osteoporosis is a condition in which bone mass is reduced, the structural integrity of the bone is diminished and the risk of fracture is increased. The number of osteoporosis-related fractures is expected to rise to more than 3 million by 2025.

This recently published study evaluated data from 7 large randomized trials in which subjects received calcium and/or vitamin D to evaluate the impact on the risk of fractures. The data evaluated 68,517 subjects with a mean age of 69.9 years.

The results showed that trials using calcium plus vitamin D supplementation resulted in a decrease in the overall risk of fracture by 8 percent and the risk of hip fracture by 16 percent. Supplementation with 10-20 micrograms (400 - 800 I.U.) of vitamin D without calcium did not significantly decrease fracture risk.

The researchers concluded, “This individual patient data analysis indicates that vitamin D given alone in doses of 10-20 micrograms is not effective in preventing fractures. By contrast, calcium and vitamin D given together reduce hip fractures and total fractures, and probably vertebral fractures, irrespective of age, sex, or previous fractures.”

Reference:

Abrahamsen B, Masud T, Avenell A, Anderson F, Meyer HE, Cooper C, Smith H, LaCroix AZ, Torgerson D, Johansen A, Jackson R, Rejnmark L, Wactawski-Wende J, Brixen K, Mosekilde L, Robbins JA, Francis RM. Patient level pooled analysis of 68 500 patients from seven major vitamin D fracture trials in US and Europe. BMJ. 2010 Jan 12;340:b5463.