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Multivitamin and mineral supplementation is associated with the reduction of fracture risk and hospitalization rate in Chinese adult males: a randomized controlled study

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Abstract

Controversy exists in the literature regarding the efficacy of bone health-related nutrients, especially calcium and vitamin D, in preventing fractures. The aim of our present study was to determine the effect of multivitamin and mineral supplementation on fracture incidence among 3,318 participants from a nutritional intervention trial in Linxian, China. A total of 1,461 men and 1,857 women were enrolled and randomized to daily supplementation with 26 vitamins and minerals tablet or placebo pills for 6 years, followed by a 16-year post-interventional follow-up. The dates, sites, and causes of the fractures were collected retrospectively via a standardized questionnaire. Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate hazard ratios and 95 % confidence intervals of fracture incidence in the intervention versus the placebo group. A total of 221 fractures (57 in men and 164 in women) occurred during the entire study period of 21 years and 9 months. In men, the supplement reduced the risk of fracture by 63 % during the trial period, and this protective effect was sustained and statistically significant when analysis included both the trial period and 5- or 10-year post-intervention follow-up (years 0–11, P = 0.04; years 0–16, P = 0.02, respectively). The protection against fracture was not apparent >10 years after cessation of the intervention. In women, no significant effect of supplementation on fracture incidence was seen in any of the study periods. These results demonstrate that a 6-year multivitamin and mineral intervention was associated with significant reduction of fracture risk and fracture-related hospitalization in men, but not in women.

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Acknowledgments

Shao-Ming Wang was involved in the writing and revising of the manuscript and part of the data analysis, Liang-Yu Yin was involved in the writing and revising of the manuscript, Zhang Yu was involved in the study design, data collection, data analysis and writing of the manuscript, and Jin-Hu Fan was involved in the study design, data collection and data analysis. Irene J. Chang was involved in revising the draft. Sanford M. Dawsey and Philip R. Taylor participated in the study design, data-analysis and revision of the manuscript, and Christian C. Abnet and You-Lin Qiao supervised the entire study as the principle investigators. All the authors contributed to the data interpretation and manuscript revisions and approved the final version of the manuscript. This study was supported in part by NIH contracts NHHSN261200477001C with the Cancer Institute of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; by additional funds from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; and by funds from the Intramural Research Program of the US National Cancer Institute, NIH.

Conflict of interest

All authors have no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Cancer Institute/Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 17# South Panjiayuan Lane, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100021, People’s Republic of China

    Shao-Ming Wang, Liang-Yu Yin, Yu Zhang, Jin-Hu Fan & You-Lin Qiao

  2. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1150 Northwest 14th Street, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Irene J. Chang

  3. Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, 6120 Executive Boulevard, MSC 7242, Bethesda, MD, 20892-7335, USA

    Sanford M. Dawsey, Philip R. Taylor & Christian C. Abnet

  4. Nutritional Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Executive Plaza South, Room 3042, 6120 Executive Boulevard, MSC 7232, Bethesda, MD, 20892-7232, USA

    Christian C. Abnet

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  1. Shao-Ming Wang
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  2. Liang-Yu Yin
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Correspondence to Christian C. Abnet or You-Lin Qiao.

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Wang, SM., Yin, LY., Zhang, Y. et al. Multivitamin and mineral supplementation is associated with the reduction of fracture risk and hospitalization rate in Chinese adult males: a randomized controlled study. J Bone Miner Metab 33, 294–302 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00774-014-0589-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00774-014-0589-3

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