Impact of calcium, Vitamin D supplements on bone health questioned

The study, conducted by researchers at the Tianjin Hospital in China, was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Calcium and Vitamin D supplements consumed by 50-plus men and women around the world to fortify aging bones and protect them from fractures beaks probably don’t make that significant a difference as commonly believed, according to new study.

A shopper looks among health supplements at a drugstore in Berlin, Germany. (Representative photo/ Getty Images)

The study, conducted by researchers at the Tianjin Hospital in China, was published on Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It was based on 33 randomised clinical trials covering 51,145 participants above the age of 50 living in the general community.

“The use of supplements that included calcium, Vitamin D, or both was not associated with a significant difference in the risk of hip fractures compared with placebo (those given medicines with no benefits) or no treatment,” the report said.

“These findings do not support the routine use of these supplements in community-dwelling older people.”

But some experts warned the study might have missed the impact of these supplements on people with a history of bone problems or family history, or that the doses were not strong enough.

The study also did not address question about these supplements helping the body cope with other ailments or problems caused by the deficiency of calcium and Vitamin D. It is focussed only on the impact of these supplements on bone strength among those over 50. And it found no “significant” benefit.

This is not the first time the link between calcium and vitamin D supplements and the health of bones has been questioned. In 2013, the US Preventive Services Task Force, an independent body of experts, had reached the same conclusion: “The current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of the benefits and harms of combined Vitamin D and calcium supplementation for the primary prevention of fractures in premenopausal women or in men”.

But these supplements remain in use. An estimated 70-90% of apparently healthy population, cutting across ages and not just those above 50 year, are Vitamin D deficient in India; and calcium deficiency remains high as well.

Vitamin D, the most abundant source of which remains sunlight, helps the body absorb calcium and help bone growth. It is also found in salmon, sardines, cod liver oil, mackerel, milk, and eggs. Milk, kale (cooked), salmon, broccoli, okra, and almonds are high in calcium.