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 .
Clodronate reduces the incidence of fractures in community-dwelling elderly women unselected for osteoporosis: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized study.
UNLABELLED A 3-year prospect i ve , r and omized , placebo-controlled trial of oral clodronate 800 mg showed that the incidence of clinical fractures was decreased by 20 % in 5596 elderly women unselected for osteoporosis . The effect occurred in the absence of systematic calcium and vitamin D supplementation and was observed across a wide range of BMDs . INTRODUCTION To date , most studies with bisphosphonates have reported on their use in individuals selected to be at high risk for fracture usually by the presence of low BMD or a prior fragility fracture , usually of the spine . We wished to determine the effect of the bisphosphonate , clodronate , on the rate of fractures in women > or = 75 years of age living in the community . MATERIAL S AND METHODS Women > or = 75 years of age living in the general community in South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire , identified from general practice registers , were recruited by letter of invitation to a r and omized , double-blind , controlled trial of 800 mg oral clodronate ( Bonefos ) or matching placebo daily over 3 years . The main outcomes were the incidences of hip and any clinical fracture . RESULTS Of the 5579 elderly women included in the intention-to-treat analysis of efficacy , 114 had a new hip fracture during the 3-year treatment phase : 56 ( 2.0 % ) women in the clodronate group and 58 ( 2.1 % ) women in the placebo group ( hazard ration [ HR ] , 1.02 ; 95 % CI , 0.71 - 1.47 ) . Clodronate did , however , decrease the incidence of any clinical fracture by 20 % ( 264 women [ 9.5 % ] versus 337 [ 12.1 % ] in the placebo group ; HR , 0.80 ; 95 % CI , 0.68 - 0.94 ) . The incidence of osteoporosis-associated nonhip fractures was also significantly decreased by 29 % ( 5.2 % versus 7.4 % ; HR , 0.71 ; 95 % CI , 0.57 - 0.87 ) . The ability of clodronate to reduce the risk of osteoporotic fracture was independent of baseline BMD , but the number needed-to-treat was lower in the presence of osteoporosis . CONCLUSIONS Oral daily clodronate can prevent fractures without significant adverse effects in elderly women living in the general community . The effect on hip fracture risk is not significant , but an effect similar to that at other nonvertebral sites can not be excluded . This study suggests that antiresorptive therapies can reduce fracture incidence in high-risk individuals even in the presence of a normal or osteopenic BMD
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 .