CONTEXT: Vitamin D affects bone and muscle health and likely reduces the risk of 
falls in the elderly.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the existing 
evidence on vitamin D use and the risk of falls.
DATA SOURCES: We searched electronic databases from inception through August 
2010.
STUDY SELECTION: Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials in which the 
intervention was vitamin D and the incidence of falls was reported.
DATA EXTRACTION: Reviewers working in duplicate and independently extracted 
study characteristics, quality, and outcomes data.
DATA SYNTHESIS: Odds ratio and associated 95% confidence interval were estimated 
from each study and pooled using the random effects model.
RESULTS: We found 26 eligible trials of moderate quality that enrolled 45,782 
participants, the majority of which were elderly and female. Vitamin D use was 
associated with statistically significant reduction in the risk of falls (odds 
ratio for suffering at least one fall, 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 
0.77-0.96). This effect was more prominent in patients who were vitamin D 
deficient at baseline and in studies in which calcium was coadministered with 
vitamin D. The quality of evidence was low to moderate because of heterogeneity 
and publication bias.
CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D combined with calcium reduces the risk of falls. The 
reduction in studies without calcium coadministration did not reach statistical 
significance. The majority of the evidence is derived from trials enrolling 
elderly women.