USPSTF: Vitamin D, calcium supplements don't prevent fx

(HealthDay)—For non-institutionalized postmenopausal women, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against daily supplementation with ≤400 IU of vitamin D₃ and ≤1,000 mg of calcium for primary prevention of fractures, and a lack of evidence impairs the provision of recommendations for other populations, according to a statement published online Feb. 26 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Using data from two systematic evidence reviews and a meta-analysis, Virginia A. Moye, M.D., M.P.H., and colleagues on behalf of the USPSTF in Rockville, Md., examined the effects of vitamin D supplementation, with or without calcium, on bone health outcomes in community-dwelling adults. Adverse effects of supplementation were also considered.

The USPSTF found that, regarding premenopausal women and men, the current evidence was insufficient to support an evaluation of the benefits and harms of combined vitamin D and calcium supplementation on the primary prevention of fractures. For non-institutionalized postmenopausal women, insufficient evidence was available to examine the balance of benefits and harms for supplementation with >400 IU of vitamin D₃ and >1,000 mg of calcium for primary prevention of fractures. For non-institutionalized postmenopausal women, the USPSTF recommends against daily supplementation with ≤400 IU of vitamin D₃ and ≤1,000 mg of calcium.

"While we wait for the results of further research, the USPSTF's cautious, evidence-based advice should encourage clinicians to think carefully before advising calcium and vitamin D supplementation for healthy individuals," write the authors of an accompanying editorial.