'Calcium, vitamin D supplements not harmful for older people'

“There is no harm in giving calcium and vitamin D supplements to women after menopause who may be at increased risk of osteoporosis,” Pradeep Sharma, Head of Orthopaedics at BLK Super Speciality Hospital in New Delhi told IANS in a telephonic conversation.

The study, by researchers in Chi and published in the jourl JAMA, involved data from more than 50,000 adults who were over 50 years of age. 

They were participants in 33 randomised clinical trials comparing supplement use — calcium, vitamin D or both — with placebo or no treatment and new fractures.

Jia-Guo Zhao of Tianjin Hospital in Chi, and co-authors did a meta-alysis of the studies.  A meta-alysis combines the results of multiple studies identified in a systematic review and quantitatively summarises the overall association between the same exposure (supplements containing calcium, vitamin D or both) and outcomes (fracture) across all studies.

The researchers found that supplements were not associated with less risk for new fractures, regardless of the dose, the sex of the patient, their fracture history, calcium intake in their diet or baseline vitamin D blood concentrations. (IANS)