More vitamin D, less bone fracture risk

Swiss researchers say higher doses of vitamin D daily may reduce bone fracture risk for the elderly.

Their analysis of research studies, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found doses higher than 400 international units per day reduced non-vertebral fractures by 20 percent and hip fractures by 18 percent.

Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari of the University of Zurich Hospital in Switzerland and colleagues performed a meta-analysis on 12 previously published clinical trials of oral vitamin D supplements among adults age 65 and older. These double-blind randomized controlled trials involved non-spinal fractures in 42,279 participants — including eight trials of 40,886 participants specifically studying hip fractures.

When the researchers studied the results of the trials, vitamin D supplements doses of 400 international units per day or lower did not reduce non-spinal or hip fracture risks. The greater reduction in risk was seen among trial participants whose blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D — a measure of blood vitamin D levels — achieved a greater increase.

Higher doses of vitamin D should be explored in future research to optimize anti-fracture efficacy, the study authors said in a statement. Our results do not support use of low-dose vitamin D with or without calcium in the prevention of fractures among older individuals.