Vitamin D supplements prevent fractures in healthy adults
Mostly falseThe Claim
Vitamin D is widely taken by healthy middle-aged and older adults in the belief that it will prevent broken bones.
Origin
Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption and bone mineralisation, and supplements are commonly recommended for bone health.
What Science Says
In the VITAL trial of 25,871 generally healthy adults aged 50+, 2,000 IU/day of vitamin D3 for a median 5.3 years did not reduce total fractures (HR 0.98), non-vertebral fractures (HR 0.97) or hip fractures (HR 1.01) compared with placebo. The result held regardless of age, sex, body weight or baseline vitamin D level. These participants were not selected for deficiency or osteoporosis, where the picture may differ.
Verdict
Mostly False