Lower chance of bone fracture with Vitamin D supplementation

According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, older people taking vitamin D supplements had fewer bone fractures than expected. The researchers from Cambridge, UK, identified a group of 2,686 people aged 65 to 85 living in the community. They sent either one capsule of Vitamin D3 or a placebo every four months for five years. They asked the participants to provide them with information on bone fractures and any major illnesses. They found that those who were given the vitamin D3 capsule had a 22 per cent lower rate for first fracture at any site. Also, this group of people had a 33 per cent lower rate for fracture in the hip, wrist, forearm or vertebrae - sites that are commonly affected by osteoporosis. Researchers concluded that using Vitamin D supplementation is a cost-effective strategy for reducing disabling bone fractures among older people.