Do vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acid and simple home strength exercise program prevents fall in elderly?

Switzerland: The findings of a new study shows that supplemental omega-3 fatty acids may have a slight impact on the incidence of total falls among generally healthy, active, and vitamin D-replete older persons, but daily high-dose vitamin D or a simple home exercise programme (SHEP) showed no benefit.

The effect of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and home exercise on fall prevention in otherwise healthy and active older people remains unknown. As a result, Heike A Bischoff-Ferrari and colleagues conducted this study with the goal of testing the effect of daily supplemental vitamin D, marine omega-3 s fatty acids, and a simple home exercise programme (SHEP), alone or in combination, on the incidence of total and injurious falls in otherwise healthy older adults. The data of this research was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

For this study, researchers conducted a randomized-controlled trial with a two-by-two factorial design among 2157 community-dwelling adults aged 70 and older who had no major health events in the five years prior to enrolment and were recruited from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, and Portugal between December 2012 and November 2014. Over a three-year period, participants were randomly randomized to receive 2000 international units/day of vitamin D3 and/or 1 g/day of marine omega-3 s, as well as a SHEP vs placebo and/or control exercise. The incidence rate of total falls was the primary goal for the current fall analysis. Throughout the experiment, falls were documented prospectively. Because there were no interactions between treatments, the main effects are reported using a modified intent-to-treat analysis.