the-benefits-of-combining-calcium-and-vitamin-d-in-preventing-fractures
Monday 18th January 2010
Young,old, male or female, with previous fractures or not - taking both calcium and vitamin D supplements on a daily basis reduces the risk of bone fractures according to a large study of nearly 70,000 United States and European patients.
The online British Medical Journal reported that researchers at Copenhagen University in Denmark, the University of California and an international team of colleagues analyzed the results of seven
large clinical trials from around the world to assess the effectiveness
of vitamin D alone or with calcium in reducing fractures among people
averaging 70 years or older. "What is important about this very large study is that goes a long way
toward resolving conflicting evidence about the role of vitamin D,
either alone or in combination with calcium, in reducing fractures,"
said John Robbins, professor of internal medicine at UC Davis and a
co-author of the journal article."This latest analysis, because it incorporates so many more people, really confirms our earlier conclusions."
"This study ( part of a 15-year, national program to address the most common causes
of death, disability and poor quality of life in postmenopausal women ) supports a growing consensus that combined calcium and
vitamin D is more effective than vitamin D alone in reducing a variety
of fractures," said Robbins. "Interestingly, this combination of
supplements benefits both women and men of all ages, which is not
something we fully expected to find. We now need to investigate the
best dosage, duration and optimal way for people to take it."
The researchers could not identify any significant effects for people who only take vitamin D supplements.