People taking common supplement might be enjoying ‘little or no’ benefit

People taking common supplement might be enjoying ‘little or no’ benefit A new study has discovered that the supplement offers ‘little or no’ benefit Calcium and Vitamin D supplements have been recommended for years to older adults as a way to keep their bones healthy and prevent injuries during falls. However, a new major study found these supplements might not be delivering the benefit that millions were promised. It found the two supplements, whether people were taking both or just one or the other, had “little to no benefit” in preventing fractures and falls. The review looked at 69 trials involving nearly 154,000 people over 11 years and found the two supplements had “little to no benefits” in preventing fractures and falls. Falls and injuries sustained during them are a major health concern for older people. The long-term effects of these events can mean people lose some of their independence or quality of life. The mental toll of falls for older people can also lead them to limit their daily activities and if this turns into a more sedentary lifestyle it could leave them with muscle weakness and poor balance, making a future fall even more likely. The study, published in the BMJ, said its results don’t support encouraging older people to consistently use calcium or vitamin D supplements to prevent fractures or falls. However, researchers noted that the results might not be the same for people with specific bone disorders or who have been recommended the supplements individually by a healthcare professional. The researchers suggested the idea that calcium and vitamin D help to prevent fractures in older people may have come from a study in the early 1990s. But, this study looked at older women with high risk of hip fractures, low vitamin D levels, low calcium in their diets and many of the participants may have had an undiagnosed bone disease known as osteomalacia. Because the participants were so high risk, the use of supplements to prevent fractures may have worked for them but may not be useful to the general population. A few studies followed but these had various limitations such as relying on specific dosing regimens or subgroup analyses. In the latest study, the researchers also addressed the argument that taking supplements usually doesn’t do any harm and might provide some benefits to some people. However, they explained; “Calcium supplements are often difficult to swallow and poorly tolerated in older adults, commonly causing gastrointestinal adverse effects such as constipation, bloating, abdominal pain, or cramps.” They concluded: “Clinicians, guideline panels, and regulatory agencies should re-evaluate their general recommendations for calcium and vitamin D supplementation in light of current evidence.”