Calcium and vitamin D pills do not protect against broken bones

Dietary supplements: Physicians are investigating the protective effect of broken bones

Many people are starting to pay more attention to their health at the beginning of next year. Also, the intake of dietary supplements with vitamins and minerals is often observed. Dietary supplements with calcium and vitamin D should prevent broken bones in the elderly, for example. The results of a new study, however, show that such dietary supplements do not contribute to the protection against bone fractures.

Scientists at Tianjin Hospital in China investigated the effects of taking supplements on the likelihood of fractures. The researchers found that calcium and vitamin D in dietary supplements do not lead to better protection against bone fractures. The results of her study were published in the medical journal "JAMA".

Researchers found that dietary supplementation with calcium or vitamin D does not help protect elderly from fractures. (Image: Unclesam / fotolia.com)

Investigation focused on people over the age of 50 years

The scientists' analysis focused on adults who were older than 50 and who did not live in a kind of nursing home. The physicians found that about 40 percent of women in this age group suffered a major osteoporotic fracture at some point in their lives. In addition, it was found that about 20 percent of adults with a hip fracture died within a year of their injury. Especially for older people, fractures are a serious health problem, say the experts.

Data from more than 50,000 subjects considered

Since the end of 2006, the researchers analyzed Jia-Guo Zhao for her investigation the results of various clinical trials and other medical reports. They identified a total of 51,145 individuals who participated in studies evaluating the effects of dietary supplements with calcium and vitamin D in preventing bone fractures.

Taking calcium in tablet form leads to better protection against fractures?

Calcium supplements were used in 14 studies and it was investigated whether these products were more beneficial in a hip fracture than taking a placebo. In addition, it was compared whether a complete abandonment of a treatment has a more adverse effect than the intake of dietary supplements. There was no statistically significant association between the use of calcium (in tablet form) and a reduced risk of hip fracture, the authors explain. In addition, there was no clear correlation between preparations with calcium and fractures of the spine or other bones. After taking into account factors such as gender, history of fractures, and the amount of calcium taken, no evidence was found that taking the supplements was helpful, the researchers concluded.

What effect do supplements with vitamin D have on fracture risk??

In another 17 studies, the role of vitamin D was investigated. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. Again, the scientists found no statistically significant association between the use of supplements and the risk of having a hip fracture. The same was true for fractures on the spine and other parts of the body, the experts add.

Dietary supplements with vitamin D can even have a negative effect

Researchers also found that individuals with at least 20 nanograms of vitamin D per milliliter of blood had a higher risk of hip fracture with the addition of vitamin D supplements. The same has been observed in people who only take high doses of vitamin D supplements once a year, the researchers report.

How does a combined supplement with calcium and vitamin D work??

Finally, 13 studies were analyzed in which people received a combined supplement with calcium and vitamin D. Again, no statistically significant association was found between the use of supplements and the risk of any type of fracture. Thousands of participants from this last group participated in the so-called Women's Health Initiative. Previous research, based on the data from this initiative, suggested that supplementation with calcium and vitamin D might reduce the risk of fractures. However, only for women who performed hormone therapy after their menopause. To get a more accurate picture of the effects of supplements on the risk of fractures, Dr. Zhao and his colleagues did not collect data from women who did hormone therapy.

There is still the possibility that supplementation with calcium and vitamin D could have a positive effect on people in nursing homes or other living facilities, say the authors. In such people, the likelihood of osteoporosis is higher because, for example, they eat worse and receive less exposure to the sun. However, in the case of autonomously living older adults, the results clearly show that the routine use of such supplements does not lead to better protection against fractures. (As)