Calcium supplements  increased BMD by 0.7 - 1.8 % at all five skeletal sites at one , two , and over two and a half years , but the size of the increase in BMD at later time points was similar to the increase at one year .
Increasing calcium intake from dietary sources or by taking calcium supplements produces small non-progressive increases in BMD , which are unlikely to lead to a clinical ly significant reduction in risk of fracture
OBJECTIVE To determine whether increasing calcium intake from dietary sources affects  bone mineral density ( BMD ) and , if so , whether the effects are similar to those of calcium supplements .
The Effect of Calcium and Vitamin D3 Supplementation on the Healing of the Proximal Humerus Fracture: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study
The purpose of this study was to ( 1 ) quantify the healing process of the human osteoporotic proximal humerus fracture ( PHF ) expressed in terms of callus formation over the fracture region using BMD scanning , and ( 2 ) quantify the impact of medical intervention with vitamin D3 and calcium on the healing process of the human osteoporotic fracture . The conservatively treated PHF was chosen in order to follow the genuine fracture healing without influence of osteosynthetic material s or casts . Thirty women ( mean age = 78 years ; range = 58–88 ) with a PHF , osteoporosis or osteopenia ( based on a hip scan , WHO criteria ) , and not taking any drugs related to bone formation , including calcium or vitamin D supplementation  , were r and omly assigned to either oral 800 IU vitamin D3 plus 1 g calcium or placebo , in a double-blind prospect i ve study . We measured biochemical , radiographic , and bone mineral density effect parameters to evaluate the impact on the healing process . Scanning procedures of the fractured shoulder included use of a fixation device to obtain the highest possible precision . Double scans of the fractured shoulder revealed a coefficient of variation ( CV ) on BMD measurements that improved from 2.8 % immediately after fracture occurrence to 1.7 % at 12 weeks ( P = 0.003 ) approaching the 1.2 % levels observed over the healthy shoulder . BMD was similar in the two groups at baseline ( active 0.534 g/cm2 vs. placebo 0.518 g/cm2 ) , and both increased over the 12-week observation period , with peak levels in week 6 . By week 6 BMD levels were higher in the active group ( 0.623 g/cm2 ) compared with the placebo group ( 0.570 g/cm2 , P = 0.006 ) . Thirty seven percent of the patients presented with vitamin D levels below 30 nmol/l , indicative of mild vitamin D insufficiency . In conclusion , we have demonstrated that it is possible to quantify callus formation of the PHF with sufficiently high precision to demonstrate the positive influence of vitamin D3 and calcium over the first 6 weeks after fracture . Whether this results in more stable fractures , extends to other fracture types , or applies to other osteogenic bone agents such as bisphosphonates remains to be examined
Calcium supplements  increased BMD by 0.7 - 1.8 % at all five skeletal sites at one , two , and over two and a half years , but the size of the increase in BMD at later time points was similar to the increase at one year .
Increasing calcium intake from dietary sources or by taking calcium supplements produces small non-progressive increases in BMD , which are unlikely to lead to a clinical ly significant reduction in risk of fracture
OBJECTIVE To determine whether increasing calcium intake from dietary sources affects  bone mineral density ( BMD ) and , if so , whether the effects are similar to those of calcium supplements .