Prevention check
Should I take vitamin D and calcium to prevent fractures?
Do vitamin D and calcium supplements protect your bones? The US Preventive Services Task Force has reviewed whether they prevent fractures in adults living at home. Check what it says for you.
About you
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What you will see
What the USPSTF says about vitamin D and calcium supplements to prevent fractures for you.
Educational only, not medical advice. Do not stop a supplement your clinician prescribed without asking them.
Source
US Preventive Services Task Force, April 2018 recommendation on vitamin D, calcium or combined supplementation to prevent fractures (current final), with the December 2024 draft update.
Validated in
Adults living at home, not in a nursing home or care facility, without osteoporosis, a past osteoporotic fracture, vitamin D deficiency or increased fall risk.
Limits
It covers supplements taken to prevent a first fracture, not treatment of osteoporosis or vitamin D deficiency. The 2024 draft is not final and may change.
What the USPSTF recommends (2018, current)
| Who | Recommendation | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Women after menopause | Against daily supplements of 400 IU or less of vitamin D and 1,000 mg or less of calcium to prevent fractures | D |
| Women after menopause | Higher daily doses: evidence insufficient | I |
| Men and women before menopause | Vitamin D, calcium or both: evidence insufficient | I |
The recommendation against low doses rests on the finding that they provide no benefit. At higher doses the evidence is conflicting: some studies showed fewer of certain fractures, others no reduction or even an increase (USPSTF 2018). Supplements with both vitamin D and calcium raise the risk of kidney stones, a harm the USPSTF judged small (USPSTF 2018).
The 2024 draft update
In December 2024 the USPSTF posted a draft, which is not final. It proposes recommending against vitamin D, with or without calcium, to prevent fractures, and against vitamin D to prevent falls, in postmenopausal women and men 60 or older living at home (grade D) (USPSTF draft 2024). The USPSTF concluded with moderate certainty that these supplements have no net benefit for either purpose. When final, it will replace the 2018 recommendation (USPSTF draft 2024).
The draft also stresses that getting enough vitamin D and calcium is still important for bone and overall health. The recommended daily amounts are 600 to 800 IU of vitamin D and 1,000 to 1,200 mg of calcium, counting food, drinks and supplements together (USPSTF draft 2024). The recommendations are about taking supplements without regard to your diet or blood levels (USPSTF draft 2024).
Why fractures matter
Between 20% and 30% of people die within a year of a hip fracture, with higher death rates in men than in women. Nearly 40% cannot walk on their own a year later (USPSTF draft 2024). Low bone mass, older age and past falls are major risk factors for osteoporotic fractures. Others include female sex, smoking, glucocorticoid medicines and other medicines that affect bone, such as aromatase inhibitors (USPSTF 2018). Nearly all hip fractures are related to a fall (USPSTF 2018).
Common questions
What does help prevent fractures and falls?
The USPSTF recommends screening for osteoporosis in women 65 or older and in younger women at increased risk, and exercise to prevent falls in adults 65 or older at increased risk of falling (USPSTF draft 2024). See the osteoporosis screening check and the fall risk check.
Should I get my vitamin D level tested?
The USPSTF found the evidence insufficient to judge screening adults without symptoms for vitamin D deficiency (USPSTF 2018).
Also see the vitamin D deficiency screening check, the menopause hormone therapy check and all screening tests by age.
Sources
- US Preventive Services Task Force. Vitamin D, Calcium, or Combined Supplementation for the Primary Prevention of Fractures in Community-Dwelling Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA. 2018;319(15):1592. www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/vitamin-d-calcium-or-combined-supplementation-for-the-primary-prevention-of-fractures-in-adults-preventive-medication
- US Preventive Services Task Force. Draft Recommendation: Vitamin D, Calcium, or Combined Supplementation for the Primary Prevention of Falls and Fractures in Community-Dwelling Adults: Preventive Medication. Posted December 17, 2024. Draft, not final. www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/draft-recommendation/vitamin-d-calcium-combined-supplementation-primary-prevention-falls-fractures-communitydwelling-adults
Written and maintained by the uncovermyrisk.com editorial team. We do not have a medical reviewer; every claim links to its primary source above. Last reviewed: 2026-10-30. Spotted an error? See About.