Another disappointing result for Vitamin D supplements. A large study, with school-aged children randomly assigned to either a vitamin D supplement group or no supplement, found that vitamin D supplementation had no effect on the number of fractures that occurred in the children. Vitamin D3 supplementation did not prevent fractures or have an effect on bone strength.
Most children were vitamin D deficient at the beginning of the 3 year study (but none had rickets, for which vitamin D is prescribed). The vitamin D supplement (14,000 IU/week for 3 years) group soon had normal levels while the other group stayed at low levels. And yet there were no differences in the percentage getting fractures (6% in both groups) over time.
From Science Daily: Vitamin D supplements do not prevent bone fractures in children
A major clinical trial led by Queen Mary University of London and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has found that vitamin D supplements do not increase bone strength or prevent bone fractures in children with vitamin D deficiency. The findings challenge widely held perceptions relating to the effects of vitamin D on bone health. ...continue reading "Study Found Vitamin D Supplements Do Not Prevent Fractures In Children"