USPSTF Recommends Against Vitamin D Supplementation for Fracture, Fall Prevention
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Dec. 17, 2024 -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against vitamin D supplementation, with or without calcium, for preventing fractures and falls in older adults. These recommendations form the basis of a draft recommendation statement published online Dec. 17.
Researchers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in Rockville, Maryland, reviewed the evidence on supplementation with vitamin D, calcium, or both to prevent fractures and falls in community-dwelling adults. Twenty unique randomized controlled trials were included; eight were conducted exclusively among postmenopausal women and the rest included men (aged 50 years or older) and postmenopausal women. The researchers found that the pooled risk ratio for vitamin D supplementation, with or without calcium, was 0.99 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.86 to 1.13) compared with control, corresponding to an absolute risk difference of zero fewer hip fractures per 1,000 supplemented. For incidence of one or more falls, the pooled relative risk for vitamin D supplementation, with or without calcium, was 0.99 versus control (95 percent confidence interval, 0.97 to 1.01), corresponding to an absolute risk difference of five fewer participants with one or more falls per 1,000 supplemented.
Based on these findings, the USPSTF recommends against supplementation with vitamin D, with or without calcium, for the primary prevention of fractures or falls in community-dwelling postmenopausal women and men 60 years or older (D recommendation).
The draft recommendation statement and evidence review have been posted for public comment. Comments can be submitted from Dec. 17, 2024, through Jan. 21, 2025.
Draft Recommendation Statement
Comment on Recommendation Statement
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2024
Read this next
Socioeconomic Deprivation Tied to Neurodegeneration in Combat Athletes
THURSDAY, Aug. 14, 2025 -- Athletes experiencing early-life socioeconomic disadvantage may have an increased risk for neurodegeneration from exposure to repetitive head injury...
ADHD Drug Treatment Linked to Reduced Rate of Adverse Outcomes
THURSDAY, Aug. 14, 2025 -- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug treatment is associated with reduced rates of adverse outcome events, including suicidality...
2009 to 2023 Saw Increase in Use of Technology, Glycemic Control in Type 1 Diabetes
THURSDAY, Aug. 14, 2025 -- From 2009 to 2023, there was an increase in use of diabetes technology and in glycemic control among youths and adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D)...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.