Studies have shown that vitamin D supplements do not prevent fractures in children

CTOnews.com, December 5 (Xinhua) one of the consensus among many parents is that giving their children vitamin D supplements can enhance the healthy development of bones. But the latest research challenges this consensus, showing that vitamin D supplements do not increase bone strength or prevent fractures in children with vitamin D deficiency.

Photo Source: a major clinical trial led by Rawpixel, led by Queen Mary University in London and the Harvard School of Public Health, found that vitamin D supplements did not increase bone strength or prevent fractures in children with vitamin D deficiency.

Fractures in children are a major health problem, with more than 1/3 minors worldwide experiencing at least one fracture, which can lead to permanent disability and / or poor quality of life.

Vitamin D plays a role in bone mineralization, and no clinical study has been conducted to understand whether vitamin D supplements can protect children from fractures, and the study shows that supplements do not strengthen children's bones.

8851 6-to 13-year-olds were given weekly doses of vitamin D supplements, and 95.5% of the participants had vitamin D deficiency at the beginning of the experiment. The results show that supplements are very effective in raising vitamin D levels in these children to the normal range.

But after using quantitative ultrasound measurements on 1438 participants, the team found that vitamin D supplements had no effect on children's fracture risk or bone strength. But the researchers say the importance of adequate vitamin D in preventing osteomalacia should not be ignored.

The reference address of the paper is attached to CTOnews.com:

Davaasambuu Ganmaa, PhD,Polyna Khudyakov, PhD,Uyanga Buyanjargal, MD,Enkhtsetseg Tserenkhuu, MSc,Sumiya Erdenenbaatar, BSc,Chuluun-Erdene Achtai, MD,Narankhuu Yansanjav, MD,Baigal Delgererekh, MD,Munkhzaya Ankhbat, MSc,Enkhjargal Tsendjav, MSc,Batbayar Ochirbat, MD,Badamtsetseg Jargalsaikhan, MD,Davaasambuu Enkhmaa, MD,Prof Adrian R Martineau, PhD,Vitamin D supplements for fracture prevention in schoolchildren in Mongolia: analysis of secondary outcomes from a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial,December 01, 2023DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(23)00317-0