Scientists have questioned the benefits of calcium and vitamin D supplements for bones.

Taking calcium, vitamin D, or a combination of these drugs does little to protect the elderly from fractures and falls. Canadian scientists have studied data from 69 randomized clinical trials involving almost 154 thousand people. This was reported on June 15 in the journal Science Daily.

Despite the widespread use of such prescriptions, the researchers did not find a clinically significant reduction in the overall risk of fractures from either calcium (moderate confidence, 11 trials, more than 9,000 participants), vitamin D (high confidence, 36 trials, more than 92,000 participants), or their combined intake (high degree of reliability, 15 trials, more than 51 thousand participants). Similar results were obtained when analyzing the risk of hip fractures and the frequency of falls.

The authors emphasize that the results proved to be stable after taking into account factors such as age, gender, previous fractures, and average dietary calcium intake. According to the researchers, this reinforces the validity of the general conclusions.

Based on the data collected, the authors concluded that the results "do not support routine intake of calcium, vitamin D, or a combination of both for the prevention of fractures and falls." They also called on doctors, clinical guidelines developers, and regulatory authorities to "review the general recommendations for taking these supplements in the light of current data."

In an accompanying editorial comment to the publication, individual experts pointed out that health resources can be more effectively directed to approaches that have already proven their benefits: balance training, strength exercises and individual fall prevention programs that combine physical activity, assessment of risk factors in the home environment and patient education.

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