Cohort studycited by the Tayebat archiveabstract only checked A-SUP-16 standard review
Vitamin A and hip fractures
Vitamin A intake and hip fractures among postmenopausal women.
Overview
Feskanich D et al.. JAMA 2002 · PMID 11754708 · DOI 10.1001/jama.287.1.47
Women with the highest retinol intake had about 1.9 times the risk of hip fracture.
Does the study support the specific claim? Partly · Methodological quality: moderate
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Retinol and fractures.
- How was the study done?
Cohort.
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
72,337.
- What was actually found?
More fractures with high retinol.
- How large was the observed effect?
RR 1.89.
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Avoid high retinol.
- What are the study's limitations?
Observational.
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Partly supports.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
Applicable.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Causation.
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- Feskanich D, Singh V, Willett WC, Colditz GA
- Journal
- JAMA
- Year
- 2002
- Identifier
- PMID 11754708 DOI 10.1001/jama.287.1.47
- Verification
- verified – PubMed E-utilities efetch, 2026-10-25
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
- none
- Extent checked
- abstract only
- Conflicts of interest and funding
not stated in abstract; grants: NCI NIH HHS
2. Research question
High vitamin A intake and hip fracture
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Cohort study – Prospective cohort (Nurses' Health Study)
- Population
Postmenopausal women
- Country
USA
- Period
1980–1998
- Sample size
72,337 (603 fractures)
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
see abstract
4. Methods and endpoints
- Exposure / intervention
Vitamin A (retinol) intake from food and supplements
- Comparator
Lowest quintile
- Endpoints
Low/moderate-trauma hip fracture
- Statistical methods
RR by quintile
5. Actual results
- Results
Highest total vitamin A RR 1.48 (1.05–2.07); retinol RR 1.89 (1.33–2.68); beta-carotene n.s.; vitamin A supplement RR 1.40 (0.99–1.99, n.s.).
- Absolute risks
not reported in abstract
- Authors' conclusion
High retinol intake may promote osteoporotic hip fractures.
6. Strengths
- Long follow-up
- Repeated diet assessment
7. Weaknesses
- Observational
- FFQ measurement error
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- ROBINS-E
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- some concerns
- Rationale
Confounding possible.
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
See results.
10. Relevance to the specific claim
11. Independent contrary findings
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
High: biology and trial populations comparable to European adults.
13. Overall methodological judgement
Observational signal for retinol.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | moderate |
| Risk of bias | some concerns |
| Precision of results | moderate |
| Directness | direct |
| Reproducibility | partly replicated |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | mixed |
| Regional transferability | high |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | partly correct but over-interpreted |
14. Open questions
15. Linked fact checks
Use by the Tayebat archive
Note: according to the archive, the studies were compiled by the archive operators. Whether Dr. Elawady himself cited this study is not established.
- What the archive says about the study
Listed in the archive bibliography of the oral-supplements rule without its own interpretation; used implicitly to support the rule summary that supplements 'failed or caused harm' in large trials.
- A. What was actually studied?
High vitamin A intake and hip fracture
- B. What did the authors find?
Highest total vitamin A RR 1.48 (1.05–2.07); retinol RR 1.89 (1.33–2.68); beta-carotene n.s.; vitamin A supplement RR 1.40 (0.99–1.99, n.s.).
- C. What conclusions do the authors themselves draw?
High retinol intake may promote osteoporotic hip fractures.
- D. What does the archive derive from it?
Supports 'more hip fractures'.
- E. Is this derivation scientifically justified?
As association; the supplement-specific estimate was not significant.
- Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive)
- partly correct but over-interpreted