MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Meryl S. LeBoff, MD
Chief, Calcium and Bone SectionDirector of the Skeletal Health and Osteoporosis CenterDirector, Bone Density UnitDistinguished Chair in Skeletal Health and Osteoporosis
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Women's Health
Brigham And Women's Hospital
JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH
Professor, Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School Of Public Health
Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women's Health, Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Chief, Preventive Medicine, Brigham And Women's Hospital
Co-Director, Womens Health, Brigham And Women's Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Osteoporosis is a major public health problem. Although supplemental vitamin D has been widely used to reduce the risk of fractures in the general population, studies of the effects of vitamin D on fractures, the most important bone health outcome, have been conflicting.
Randomized controlled trials, the highest quality studies, from around the world have shown benefit, no effect, or even harm of supplemental vitamin D on risk of fractures. Some of the trials used bolus dosing, had small samples sizes or short study duration, and co-administered calcium. No large RCTS of this scale tested whether daily supplemental vitamin D (without co-administration with calcium) prevented fractures in the US population.
To fill these knowledge gaps, we tested the hypothesis in this ancillary study to VITAL, whether daily supplemental vitamin D
3 reduced the risk of incident total, non-spine and hip fractures in women and men in the US.
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