Study results show that vitamin D does not reduce fracture risk in adults

The team found that vitamin D3 did not reduce the risk of fractures compared to placebo in healthy middle-aged and older adults who did not have vitamin D deficiency or low bone mass or osteoporosis.

“Overall, the results of this large clinical trial do not support the use of vitamin D supplements to reduce fractures in generally healthy US men and women,”concludes lead author Meryl LeBoff, chief of the calcium and bone unit in the Department of Endocrine Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“These results do not apply to adults with vitamin D deficiency or low bone mass or osteoporosis. ​

Most participants in the study were not deficient and may already have achieved the vitamin D levels needed for bone health.”​

Vitamin D supplements are widely recommended for bone health in the general population, but data on whether they prevent fractures are conflicting.

To address this, the researchers conducted a complementary study to that VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL)​, a clinical study of more than 25,000 adults, also led by Brigham.

study results​

A total of 1,991 incident fractures in 1,551 participants were confirmed over a mean follow-up of 5.3 years.

Compared to placebo, supplemental vitamin D3 (2000 IU/day) did not reduce total, non-vertebral, or hip fractures.

The analyzes also showed that there was no effect of supplemental vitamin D3 on major osteoporotic fractures, wrist fractures, or pelvic fractures.

Effects were not altered by age, gender, race, body mass index, baseline vitamin D blood levels, and personal intake of supplemental calcium and/or vitamin D at baseline.