Vitamin D and calcium supplements

Vitamin D and calcium supplements

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has now recommended that vitamin D and calcium supplements above the usual recommended daily allowances are of no benefit to help prevent bone fractures in healthy older women, and may actually cause harm. In a draft recommendation statement issued in early June, the USPSTF concluded that there is insufficient evidence to recommend vitamin D for prevention of cancer or combined vitamin D and calcium for the prevention of fractures in postmenopausal women or men. They further recommend against daily supplementation of more than 400 IU of vitamin D and 1000 mg of calcium carbonate. Older adults who are at risk for falls may continue to take vitamin D (www.uspreventiveserviestaskforce.org/draftrec3.htm). The draft recommendation was issued just after a study was published showing calcium plus vitamin D supplements appear to be associated with lower mortality in older individuals. In a large meta-analysis, patients receiving both calcium and vitamin D had a 9% reduction in mortality (hazard ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.84-0.98), although vitamin D alone did not affect mortality (J Clin Endocrinol Metab published online May 17, 2012, doi: 10.1210/jc.2011-3328).