The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7388 p196
18 February 2006

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Vitamin D supplements fail to reduce hip fractures

Supplementation with calcium and vitamin D increases hip bone density, but does not reduce hip fracture or colorectal cancer, data from the Women's Health Initiative trial published this week have shown.

Hip bone density was 1.06 per cent higher in women taking 100mg calcium carbonate and 400IU vitamin D₃ daily than in those taking placebo (P<0.01). Differences in fracture rates between the two groups (the primary effect being measured) were not significant, the researchers found (New England Journal of Medicine 2006;354:669).

But the trial, involving 36,282 postmenopausal women did find that calcium and vitamin D supplements increase the risk of developing kidney stones (hazard ratio 1.17; 95 per cent confidence interval, 1.02–1.34).

“The statistically null primary effect argues against recommending universal calcium with vitamin D supplementation for already calcium-replete women,” the authors conclude.

The analysis of the effect of calcium and vitamin D supplementation on colorectal cancer, published separately (ibid p684), found that seven years of supplementation had no effect on the incidence of colorectal cancer.

“The long latency associated with the development of colorectal cancer, along with the seven-year duration of the trial, may have contributed to this null finding. However, these results do not provide support for the general use of calcium plus vitamin D supplementation to prevent colorectal cancer,” the researchers say.