Ranked by evidence
Best supplements for bone health
Correcting a vitamin D shortfall and getting enough calcium, from food if you can, are the foundations; most other bone supplements move density a little and have no fracture data. The list is ranked by the grade of the evidence for bone outcomes, not by popularity, and items that only help a specific group are labelled that way.
Picks are ranked by the strength of published evidence for this goal in otherwise healthy adults. A persistent symptom needs a clinician's evaluation, and no supplement on this list replaces treatment.
Evidence last reviewed: September 2026
Top picks
| Option | Evidence | Best for | The honest note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin D3 | Strong evidence | correcting a deficiency | Deficiency is common and impairs bone mineralisation; correcting it has strong evidence, and together with calcium it reduces fracture risk in older adults with low levels. On its own, vitamin D showed no clear fracture benefit in a recent meta-analysis. | View |
Solid options
| Option | Evidence | Best for | The honest note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin K2 (MK-7) | Limited evidence | postmenopausal bone loss | In a three-year trial of 244 postmenopausal women, 180 mcg/day slowed bone loss at the spine and femoral neck. Fractures were not measured, and it is effectively off-limits on warfarin. | View |
| Genistein | Moderate evidence | postmenopausal women with bone loss | In postmenopausal women with bone loss, 54 mg/day of genistein aglycone increased bone density over three years, though the overall effect across isoflavone trials is small. It is estrogenic, so not for women with hormone-sensitive cancers or on tamoxifen. | View |
| Milk Basic Protein (MBP) | Moderate evidence | bone density in women | At 40 mg/day this whey fraction raised bone density in several small randomised trials in women. The trials are tiny, short and largely company-run, and none shows fewer fractures. | View |
Situational
| Option | Evidence | Best for | The honest note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calcium | Moderate evidence | diets short on calcium | Supplements raise bone density by 0.7–1.8% as a one-time step, and the fracture benefit is weak unless paired with vitamin D. A 500–600 mg supplement usually closes the gap; supplements raise kidney stone risk. | View |
| Calcium Citrate | Moderate evidence | low stomach acid or PPIs | Taken with food it absorbs no better than cheaper carbonate, but it is the sensible form on long-term proton pump inhibitors, after gastric bypass, or when you cannot take calcium with meals. | View |
Popular for this goal — but the evidence says skip
- Strontium Limited evidence
The fracture data are for strontium ranelate, a withdrawn prescription drug; the citrate sold as a supplement has no fracture trials and inflates bone density scans.
- Algae Calcium Limited evidence
The human evidence is a single 12-person pilot on biochemical markers, with no bone density or fracture data, at several times the price of carbonate.
- Vitamin D3 + K2 Combo Limited evidence
Combination trials are small and short with no fracture endpoint, and the K2 fracture data people cite come from a far higher dose of a different form.
- Vitamin K1 Limited evidence
The ECKO trial gave 5 mg/day for 2–4 years to postmenopausal women with osteopenia and found no change in bone density.
- Boron Limited evidence
No adequately powered randomised trial has measured bone density or fracture rate with boron supplementation.
- Ipriflavone Limited evidence
Its largest, most rigorous trial found no bone density or fracture benefit, and roughly 13% of women taking it developed lymphocytopenia.
Our verdict
Fix vitamin D if you are low and top up calcium only if your diet falls short, since the pair together modestly reduces fractures while calcium alone does little. Skip strontium citrate, algae calcium and D3-K2 combos sold for bone: none has fracture trials behind it.