Text size: Vitamin D and Calcium to Prevent Fractures: Preventive Medication
Release Date: February 2013
Recommendation Summary
Summary of Recommendations and Evidence
| Population | Recommendation | Grade (What's This?) |
|---|---|---|
| Premenopausal Women | The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of the benefits and harms of combined vitamin D and calcium supplementation for the primary prevention of fractures in premenopausal women. Go to the Clinical Considerations for suggestions for practice regarding the I statements. | The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of the service. Evidence is lacking, of poor quality, or conflicting, and the balance of benefits and harms cannot be determined. |
| Men | The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of the benefits and harms of combined vitamin D and calcium supplementation for the primary prevention of fractures in men. Go to the Clinical Considerations for suggestions for practice regarding the I statements. | The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of the service. Evidence is lacking, of poor quality, or conflicting, and the balance of benefits and harms cannot be determined. |
| Noninstitutionalized Postmenopausal Women | 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. Go to the Clinical Considerations for suggestions for practice regarding the I statements. | The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of the service. Evidence is lacking, of poor quality, or conflicting, and the balance of benefits and harms cannot be determined. |
| Noninstitutionalized Postmenopausal Women | The USPSTF recommends against daily supplementation with 400 IU or less of vitamin D3 and 1,000 mg or less of calcium for the primary prevention of fractures in noninstitutionalized postmenopausal women. | The USPSTF recommends against the service. There is moderate or high certainty that the service has no net benefit or that the harms outweigh the benefits |
| Community-dwelling Adults, 65 Years or Older, at Increased Risk for Falls | The USPSTF has previously concluded in a separate recommendation that vitamin D supplementation is effective in preventing falls in community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older who are at increased risk for falls. | The USPSTF recommends the service. There is high certainty that the net benefit is moderate or there is moderate certainty that the net benefit is moderate to substantial. |
Internet Citation: Final Update Summary: Vitamin D and Calcium to Prevent Fractures: Preventive Medication. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. July 2015.
http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/UpdateSummaryFinal/vitamin-d-and-calcium-to-prevent-fractures-preventive-medication
