Vitamin D Needed to Reduce Risk of Fracture

If you knew you could reduce your risk of fractures by up to 20%, would you do it? A new study published in this month’s Archives on Internal Medicine shows that taking daily supplement doses of Vitamin D can do reduce the risk of fractures in older adults by up to 20%.

The researchers did a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trails of vitamin D supplementation and fracture risk. Only studies that used higher doses of vitamin D, measured blood levels of Vitamin D and assessed subjects' adherence to therapy were included in the analysis. The researchers used this data to compared fracture risk according to vitamin D dose and levels.

The researchers found that daily doses of vitamin D at 400 IU daily were not effective in preventing fracture. It took higher doses to give a 20% reduction in non-vertebral fractures and an 18% reduction in vertebral fractures in individuals over age 65.

The current recommended daily dose of Vitamin D is 800 IU daily, but it is suspected that this should be increased to 1200 IU daily. It is a simple, safe, and inexpensive way to help protect your bones.

Source
Prevention of Nonvertebral Fractures With Oral Vitamin D and Dose Dependency. A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials; Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(6):551-561; Heike A. Bischo