Multivitamins and risk of fragility hip fracture: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Hip fracture is a severe complication of osteoporosis and is associated with a significant healthcare burden worldwide. This meta-analysis explores the association between combined multivitamin use and hip fracture risk. Our results provide more patient-centered insight into the impact of supplement use on osteoporosis outcomes.

We searched three online databases in August 2019 and included studies that reported on multivitamin use in patients with osteoporotic hip fractures. The inclusion criteria were (1) adult patients with osteoporotic hip fractures, (2) availability of full-text articles in English, and (3) at least 1 year of follow-up. No suitable randomized controlled trials could be identified for inclusion in the analysis. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS).

Eight studies containing 80,148 subjects in total were included in this study. Among these, 4237 cases of fragility hip fracture were reported. The average age was 69±5.3 years, and 21% of subjects were male. Multivitamin use was found to be significantly associated with a lower risk of sustaining a fragility hip fracture (OR 0.49, 95%CI: 0.32-0.77). The Begg and Mazumdar test and funnel plot indicated that no significant publication bias was present.

Combined multivitamins are amongst the most widely used supplements and are often preferred over single vitamins. Our meta-analysis indicates that multivitamin use is significantly protective against osteoporotic hip fracture. In the future, randomized controlled trials should be performed to establish multivitamins as effective preventative measures for this injury.