Vitamin D supplements do not increase bone strength or prevent fractures in children with vitamin D deficiency, according to scientists at Harvard Medical School who published a study in the journal Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.
Approximately one-third of children experience at least one fracture before the age of 18, which can lead to disability and/or reduced quality of life. It has been suggested that vitamin D supplements may prevent bone fractures in children, but no clinical studies have been conducted before.
In the new study, researchers analyzed data from children in Mongolia, where vitamin D deficiency is common. For three years, nearly nine thousand schoolchildren ages 6 to 13 were given a weekly oral vitamin D supplement or a placebo. At baseline, 95.5% were vitamin D deficient. The supplement helped children raise their vitamin D levels to normal levels, but had no effect on fracture risk or bone strength measured using ultrasound in 1,438 participants.
This high-quality study was the largest evaluation of vitamin D supplementation in children ever conducted. Although scientists have not found a connection between the number of fractures and vitamin intake, it is not useless and is necessary for children to prevent rickets.
“It is also worth noting that giving a placebo, i.e. a pacifier, to children who were found to have rickets during the screening in the study was excluded from participation because it would be unethical. Therefore, our results are only valid for children with low vitamin D levels and who do not develop bone complications,” the scientists noted.
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