Vitamin D Appears to Prevent Falls in Some High-Risk Subgroups

Some, but not all, studies have shown that vitamin D supplementation reduces risk for falls in elders, presumably through direct effects on muscle function. Researchers performed this meta-analysis of 26 randomized controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation that reported falling as one outcome. The mean age of the 46,000 participants was 76, 78% of participants were women, and median duration of vitamin D administration was 1 year. Baseline risk for falling was high in these trials.

Vitamin D was associated with a significant reduction in risk for falling (odds ratio for risk of at least one fall, 0.86). In prespecified subgroup analyses, this benefit was seen primarily in patients who also received calcium supplementation and in those w…