Value of calcium, vitamin D pills questioned

WASHINGTON -- Popping calcium and vitamin D pills in hopes of strong bones? Healthy older women shouldn't bother with such relatively low-dose dietary supplements, new government recommendations say.

Both are crucial for healthy bones and specialists do advise getting as much as possible from a good diet. The body also makes vitamin D from sunshine. If an older person has a vitamin deficiency or bone-thinning osteoporosis, doctors often prescribe higher-than-normal doses.

For otherwise healthy postmenopausal women, modest supplements -- about 400 international units of D and 1,000 milligrams of calcium -- don't prevent broken bones. But they can increase the risk of kidney stones, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said yesterday.

It isn't clear whether those doses offer bone protection if taken before menopause, or if they help men's bones, the guidelines said.

What about higher-dose supplements that have become more common recently? There's not enough evidence yet to tell whether they would prevent fractures, either, in an otherwise healthy person, the panel concluded.

It's a confusing message considering that, for years, calcium and vitamin D supplements have been widely considered an insurance policy against osteoporosis, with little downside to taking them.

"Turns out, there's a lot more to learn," said Dr. Virginia Moyer of the Baylor College of Medicine, who heads the task force.

The main caution: These recommendations aren't for people at high risk of weak bones, including older adults who have previously broken a bone, said Dr. Sundeep Khosla of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. Those people should consult a doctor, said Khosla.

National standards advise the average adult to get about 1,000 mg of calcium, 1,300 for postmenopausal women, every day. For vitamin D, the goal is 600 IUs of vitamin D every day, moving to 800 after age 70, according to the Institute of Medicine, which set those levels in 2010.

The nutrients can come from various foods, including orange juice fortified with calcium and D; dairy foods such as milk, yogurt and cheese; certain fish including salmon; and fortified breakfast cereals.

While supplement science gets sorted out, Moyer advises healthy seniors to exercise -- proven to shore up bones and good for the rest of the body, too.