A New England Journal of Medicine analysis of over a dozen studies found that a high daily dose of vitamin D can consistently prevent fractures in seniors, while high doses of calcium diluted the positive effects of vitamin D.
The researchers pooled the data from 11 double-blind controlled trials that included results from over 31,000 individuals with a mean age of 76 years. Researcher concluded that a daily dose of at least 800 international units of vitamin D in older adults can reduce the risk of hip fractures by 30 percent and other breaks by 14 percent. When seniors were given more than 1,000 mg per day of calcium, however, the positive effects of the vitamin D were significantly weakened.
“These hip fractures cost a lot and are a really serious event. They are usually the end of independent life for a senior person; 50 percent do not regain their mobility. Reducing the risk by 30 percent with just a vitamin supplement would be an enormous public health opportunity,” study researcher Dr. Heike Bischoff-Ferrari of University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland
Researchers emphasized that the high dosage of vitamin D must be consistently administered. Studies that did not see a benefit generally suffered from conditions that did not ensure compliance or involved doses of vitamin D that were too low. The studies that saw the most benefit were high doses administered to seniors in nursing homes, who regularly took the supplements since nurses were administering the vitamins consistently.
Learn more about the study: A Pooled Analysis of Vitamin D Dose Requirements for Fracture Prevention.
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