Calcium and vitamin D supplements improves bone health after menopause

A new study suggests that women should take calcium and vitamin D supplements after menopause for bone health.

An analysis from the major Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial throws weight on the supplement side-at least for women taking hormones after menopause.

Among the nearly 30,000 postmenopausal women in the hormone trial, some 8,000 took supplemental calcium (1,000 mg/day) and vitamin D (400 mg/day), and some 8,000 took look-alike placebos.

These women came from all the hormone groups in the study-those who took estrogen plus a progestogen (required for women with a uterus), those who took estrogen alone, and those who took the hormone look-alike placebos.

The researchers looked at how the rates of hip fracture differed among women who took hormones and supplements, those who took hormones alone, and those who took neither.

The supplements and hormones had a synergistic effect. Women using both therapies had much greater protection against hip fractures than with either therapy alone.

Taking supplements alone wasn't significantly better than taking no supplements and no hormones.

The benefit of hormone therapy was strong in women who had a total calcium intake (supplements plus diet) greater than 1,200 mg/day.

Similarly, the benefit was strong in women who had higher intakes of vitamin D, but the individual effect of each one could not be determined because the two supplements were given together.

The study is published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society.