Calcium and Vitamin D3 slash the incidence of hip fracture in older women

The Women’s Health Initiative is the largest high quality clinical-study of the nutrients Vitamin D and Calcium. It included 36,282 postmenopausal women who randomly received 400 IU of Vitamin D3 daily along with 1000mg. of calcium from Calcium Carbonate or they received inactive placebo on average for seven-years. In the 59 % of women who adhered to supplementation and actually took the supplement there was a 29 % reduction in the number of hip fractures leading to a 38 % reduction in hip fracture risk with the use of the nutrients. According to the researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle there was also a suggestion of a lower risk of breast cancer and total cancer among supplement users. The study is published in the February 2013 issue of the journal Osteoporosis International.

Note: When the New England Journal of Medicine first published the results of the study it was reported that the nutrients did not significantly reduce hip fracture risk. However, the journal failed to note that 41 % of the women in the study did not bother to take the supplements; if you don’t take them they cannot help. When the remaining 59 % were analyzed in this new analysis the strong reduction in hip fracture risk was proven.