or recently published study BY British Medical Journal (BMJ) is casting doubt on the long-held belief that calcium AND vitamin D intake can help prevent bone fractures and falls.
The review and meta-analysis spanned 2014 to February 2025, analyzing data from 69 trials on a combined 153,902 participants, 87 percent of whom lived in communities and 73 percent of whom were not considered at risk of fractures or falls.
“Based on absolute risk reductions and thresholds considered clinically meaningful, this review found little or no benefit from the use of calcium, vitamin D, or combined supplements for the prevention of fractures and falls,” the study concluded.
“In addition to exercise and drug treatments for osteoporosis, several interventions with moderate to high safety evidence have been consistently shown to reduce fracture risk,” the researchers wrote.
Olivier Massé, a pharmacist with CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montréal and one of the study’s authors, said these results were expected.
“Our findings are indeed consistent with a growing body of evidence over the past decade that has cast doubt on the utility of routine supplementation in adults,” he said in an emailed statement to Global News.
“There are still many valid indications for taking calcium and vitamin D, such as taking osteoporosis drugs, long-term corticosteroids, certain bone or endocrine diseases, after bariatric surgery, etc.
Get weekly health news
Get the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.
Massé also emphasized that the study results are not to encourage people to stop taking their calcium and vitamin D supplements, “but that individuals taking them should consult with their health care professional to see if their continuation is still necessary.”
David Goltzman, professor of medicine and physiology at McGill University, said the bottom line of the study’s findings is that “if you’re already getting enough vitamin D, you don’t need more vitamin D and calcium.”
“If we don’t have enough vitamin D, we won’t absorb calcium, and so you won’t have it for your bones. But if you already have enough vitamin D, you don’t need more vitamin D, and you probably don’t need more calcium,” he said.
However, Goltzman said the majority of the population does not know if they are getting enough vitamin D due to not having their levels checked on a routine basis.
Goltzman also said that weather and seasonal changes may also play a role in people getting enough vitamin D.
“During the winter months, there’s less sun exposure and vitamin D levels can drop, and then they rise again in the summer months, when there’s more sun,” he said.
“That doesn’t mean everyone in Canada is vitamin D deficient in the winter, it just means levels will fluctuate and some will actually decrease.”
Both Massé and the study note that “future trials may evaluate interventions other than calcium, vitamin D, or combined supplements to prevent fractures and falls.”
“Potential areas of investigation include dietary strategies, medication review, educational or behavioral approaches, multi-component interventions, and digital tools for fall prevention.”
Massé also stated that “many promising interventions are still understudied.”
Goltzman recommends getting regular exercise and making sure the foods you eat are rich in vitamin D and calcium to boost those levels.
“Once they have a diagnosis or they’ve had a fracture, then, you know, everything changes.”
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
