Tier 1 — highest

Vitamin D and Calcium for the Prevention of Fracture: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Pang Yao, Derrick Bennett, Marion Mafham, Xu Lin, Zhengming Chen, Jane Armitage, Robert Clarke
JAMA network open 2019 2(12):e1917789

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 31860103
PubMed Central
PMC6991219
DOI
10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.17789
Funding
Support is recorded from Sino-British Fellowship Trust, Medical Research Council. See the original publication for grant and material-support details.
Competing interests
The publication includes author disclosures; consult the linked source for the individual relationships and their relevance.

Study snapshot

DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis
ModelHuman evidence synthesis
Sample11 observational studies; 11 vitamin-D-only trials and 6 calcium-plus-D trials
InterventionVitamin D alone or vitamin D 400–800 IU/day with calcium 1,000–1,200 mg/day
DurationVaried across included studies
EndpointsAny fracture; Hip fracture

What the study showed, in plain terms

This publication examines any fracture, hip fracture. Study population or evidence base: 11 observational studies; 11 vitamin-D-only trials and 6 calcium-plus-D trials. Intervention or exposure: Vitamin D alone or vitamin D 400–800 IU/day with calcium 1,000–1,200 mg/day.

Key findings

Vitamin D alone did not reduce fractures in the pooled trials. Calcium plus vitamin D showed modest pooled reductions in any and hip fractures.

What this study can and cannot tell us

This older analysis should be read alongside the larger 2026 review. Associations with vitamin D blood levels do not establish a supplementation effect.

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