We are all very clear that calcium could be considered a savior in terms of bone health, at least that’s what most studies have suggested. However, this report by Children’s Hospital Boston professionals states that vitamin D could be linked to lower risk of stress fractures in girls, as compared to calcium.
Most athletes are prone to stress fractures for which calcium and calcium-rich diets are usually recommended. However, there has been no official backing up of this guideline. To test this hypothesis, almost 6,712 adolescent and preadolescent girls were incorporated as part of the Growing Up Today Study.
“In contrast, there was no evidence that calcium and dairy intakes were protective against developing a stress fracture or that soda intake was predictive of an increased risk of stress fracture or confounded the association between dairy, calcium or vitamin D intakes and fracture risk,” the scientists involved in the study commented.
In the 7 year follow-up course, nearly 3.9% of the girls suffered from a stress fracture. As per the outcomes, dairy or calcium consumption appeared to have no link to less risk for stress fracture. Markedly, vitamin D intake seemed to be associated with lower risk of experiencing a stress fracture. This effect was more pronounced among girls who regularly engaged in hard-core activities for at least an hour each day.
Further studies to gauge if vitamin D attained from supplements and dietary intakes may be equally effective are being formulated. This report is published in JAMA.