Yet Another Reason to Take Supplements:Prevention of Fractures

Jack sent me this [no link available, subscription only] from a Canadian Medical Association mailing list:

Calcium/vitamin D effective for prevention of first fracture

Clinical question: Does supplementation with vitamin D and calcium prevent a first hip fracture or nonvertebral fracture in older people?

Bottom line:
Supplementation with calcium 1000 mg and vitamin D3 800 IU daily decreases the likelihood that older people will experience a first hip fracture or other nonvertebral fracture.

Reference:
Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Willett WC, Wong JB, Giovannucci E, Dietrich T, Dawson-Hughes B. Fracture prevention with vitamin D supplementation. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. JAMA 2005; 293:2257-64.

From the synopsis:

The researchers found heterogeneity among the trial results, which was resolved when they separated the studies by dose of vitamin D. Vitamin D 400 IU per day did not prevent fractures. Vitamin D doses of 700 IU to 800 IU per day resulted in a significant decrease in hip fractures (5.8% vs 7.7%), translating into 1 fewer hip fracture for every 50 patients treated for 2 years (number needed to treat = 50; 95% CI, 34-109). Similarly, the nonvertebral fracture rate was decreased only by the higher dose, with a number needed to treat of 28 (19-49) for at least 1 year.