Low-Dose Vitamin D Won't Prevent Fractures: USPSTF

Of course not. Osteoporosis is not a disease of Vitamin D deficiency.

Postmenopausal women shouldn't take low doses of vitamin D and calcium to prevent osteoporotic fractures, a government-backed expert panel said on Tuesday.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) said the "grade D recommendation" applies to community-dwelling, asymptomatic women without a history of fractures.

It said the supplements do little to prevent fractures at doses lower than 400 IU of vitamin D and 1,000 mg of calcium daily. But they do come with certain possible side effects, including a small risk of kidney stones from calcium carbonate.

The recommendations are still in draft form and will be available for public comment on the USPSTF's website (http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/draftrec3.htm) until July 10.

For higher doses of the supplements, the evidence is still too limited to make recommendations either way, the panel said. The same is true for cancer prevention.

Same for higher doses.

Since it is not a disease of low calcium or low Vitamin D, all the supplementation in the world will make no difference.

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