Vitamin D supplements do not protect bone health, analysis finds

Vitamin D supplementation does not prevent fractures or falls, or have any clinically meaningful effects on bone mineral density, a large meta-analysis has found.1 The authors concluded there “is little justification to use vitamin D supplements to maintain or improve musculoskeletal health,” as is currently recommended by Public Health England (PHE).

In July 2016, PHE issued guidance that the general population should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 μg of vitamin D during the autumn and winter as people may not get enough of the vitamin through sunlight on the skin and diet.2

This recommendation coincided with the publication of a report by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition that concluded that everyone over the age of one year should consume 10 μg of vitamin D daily.3 …