According to a draft recommendation released today by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force or USPSTF, taking a vitamin D supplement, with or without calcium, won't reduce the risk of fall and fracture in older adults.
Vitamin D is a nutrient needed by the body to build and maintain healthy bones. Its presence is required to absorb calcium in the body. Lack of vitamin D could result in low bone density, and sometimes lead to osteoporosis.
The vitamin D supplements are commonly prescribed to older adults as they don't get regular sun exposure and have trouble in absorbing the nutrient.
Recently, researchers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in Rockville, Maryland, reviewed the evidence on supplementation with vitamin D, calcium, or both to prevent fractures and falls in older adults, who are living independently.
As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, about 25 percent of adults aged 65 and older report falling at least once in the previous year, which also remains one of the leading causes of injury-related deaths in the age group.
"Those falls cause risks of bone breaks, which can have really important health consequences. So, the task force is very interested in whether there are ways to prevent such falls and fractures in the general population of older adults," said John Ruiz, a member of the Task Force who co-led the report and professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Arizona.
The task force reviewed evidence several unique randomized clinical trials and found that the total risk ratio for vitamin D supplementation, with or without calcium, was 0.99, hinting that there was no significant difference between those who take supplements and those who do not.
Ruiz added, "It's actually pretty rare for me to see a resource that shows such a clear result like that. Essentially nobody was helped by taking the supplement in terms of fractures."
The draft recommendation statement and evidence review is open for public comment till January 21, 2025.
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