Taking Vitamin D Every Day? Massive Review Finds Little Evidence It Prevents Falls or Broken Bones

For most people, especially the elderly, calcium and a good dose of vitamin D are often thought to help safeguard them in the events of fractures resulting from accidents or falls. Doctors normally recommend this. However, a new study shows that this assumption may not be as strongly supported by evidence as previously believed.

According to a review made by The BMJ, there is no clinical evidence to support that taking calcium supplements and vitamin D, regardless if it they are taken separately or simultaneously, meaningfully prevents fractures or falls in older adults.

Understanding Vitamin D and Its Benefits

To explain, vitamin D is needed for the proper absorption of calcium from food. Without it, the human body would find it difficult to transfer calcium from the intestine to the blood according to Jerusalem Post report.

But in the study from the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, it was found that low level of vitamin D result in a decrease in calcium absorption and an increased risk of fractures, particularly among older adults.

Vitamin D is something that most would not come from food in significant amounts. Among the main sources of it include, fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines, egg yolks, liver, dairy products and fortified beverages. Mushrooms are also included although this is only if they are exposed to UV radiation.

The traditional and easiest way to get vitamin D is actually to get the proper amount of sunlight. The amount varies, usually depending on the age, skin color, and time of the day among others.

No Assurance of Being Fracture-Free

Despite medical advice given by medical personnel, the BMJ research found no clear reduction in fracture risk from taking calcium or vitamin D, whether separately or together. Taken together, researchers ended up with mixed findings.

These results were all found from 69 clinical trials that involved 153,902 adults by researchers in Canada. The two supplements were experimented on individually and together. However, it would be best to note that these trials varied as researchers made evaluations on each study using established methods to assess both potential bias and the certainty of the evidence.

The team found little to no evidence to support claims that these two supplements could reduce fracture risks. For those who took calcium supplements, 11 trials were made with 9,067 participants. Those taking vitamin D supplements had 36 trials with 92,045 participants.

Combined supplementation had 15 trials with 51,126 participants. Overall, it was found that intakes of these supplements showed no benefit in preventing specific fractures, including hip fractures, or in reducing falls.

Surprisingly, taking too much vitamin D was found to be dangerous. According to the National Institute of Health, high doses of vitamin D (roughly over 4,000 IU per day) could end up reducing bone density. Hence, in such cases, this could lead to increased risks of fall and fractures. Hence, it would be advisable for individuals to monitor their intake of vitamin D carefully given these findings.

Non-Medical Ways To Strengthen Bones

Supplements are seen as solutions that people can rely on to be on autopilot, especially for older folks. However, the simple but sensible way to deal with such appears to be in the form of traditional practices.

This includes turning to weight-bearing exercises, strength training and making sure that homes are fall-proof according to The Dr Kumar Discovery.

For some people, particularly the elderly folks, some may continue to rely on these supplements despite these findings. In this scenario, the best thing to do for those covered is to continue regularly seeing their doctors.

Aside from allowing medical professionals to properly track the condition of their bones, it may be wise to get their take on this study claiming calcium and vitamin D offer limited protection against fractures or broken bones in general populations.