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Consuming Recommended Amounts of Vitamin D May Decrease Fracture Risk
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Posted on: 07/12/2007
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Vitamin D, which we can get from sunshine, some foods, and vitamin supplements, plays a significant role in reducing the risk factors of osteoporosis. Vitamin D is important for the human body because it increases the body's ability to absorb the necessary calcium and phosphate needed for bone health. If someone is lacking in vitamin D, they can develop hyperparathyroidism and a loss of bone mass. They can also be more prone to fractures. However, calcium and vitamin D intake go hand-in-hand and the two need to taken in the right amounts in order to be absorbed properly.
When discussing how much vitamin D is needed to promote good bone health, there is debate among researchers. Studies have found that lower doses of vitamin D, 400 international units (IU) per day did not reduce the risk of breaking a bone, but higher doses of 700 IU to 800 IU per day did have a positive effect, reducing the risk of hip fractures by 29 percent and other fractures of bones not in the back by 23 percent.
Controversy does remain though in how effective calcium supplements and vitamin D are in reducing the risk of overall fractures. In one study done in Australia, researchers found that there was no significant reduction in fracture risks among women who took calcium supplements of 600 mg twice a day when they were compared with a group of women who took placebos, or sugar pills. In another study, the Women's Health Initiative, researchers found that women who took 1000 mg of calcium along with 400 IU of vitamin D every day did improve bone density, but there wasn't any significant decreases in hip fractures when compared with women who took placebos.
When looking more closely at the studies, some of the findings changed a bit. In the Australian study, women who took at least 80 percent of the supplements as they should have did show a reduced risk in fractures. The same sort of results were found in the other study when researchers looked at the women who also took at least 80 percent of the recommended supplements.
Vitamin D and calcium are not the only aspect of maintaining good bone health. A person's lifestyle that includes not smoking, limiting alcohol intake, participating in weight-bearing exercise, and eating well, also plays a role.
Experts say that the usual recommended intake of vitamin D for healthy people is between 1200 and 1500 mg of calcium per day, and between 800 and 100 IU vitamin D per day.
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References:
Ellen H. Miller, MD. Nutrition and Osteoporosis: Focus on Vitamin D. In The Journal of Musculoskeletal Medicine. June 2007. Vol. 24. Pp. S14-S15.
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