Vitamin D, Calcium, or Combined Supplementation for the Primary Prevention of Fractures in Community-Dwelling Adults: Preventive Medication (Post-Menopausal Women)

1. Whether daily supplementation with greater than 400 IU of vitamin D3 and greater than 1,000 mg of calcium reduces fracture incidence in postmenopausal women or older men.
2. Prospective studies to assess the potential benefits of vitamin D and calcium supplementation in premenopausal women on fracture incidence later in life.
3. Effects of vitamin D supplementation on diverse populations, as results from studies of white women cannot be extrapolated to nonwhite populations.
4. Studies to evaluate the potential harms of supplementation, particularly studies on calcium and potential adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of the benefits and harms of daily supplementation with greater than 400 IU of vitamin D and greater than 1,000 mg of calcium for the primary prevention of fractures in noninstitutionalized postmenopausal women.

Vitamin D, Calcium, or Combined Supplementation for the Primary Prevention of Fractures in Community-Dwelling Adults: Preventive Medication (Post-Menopausal Women) Read full statement