Vitamin D deficiency has often been linked to osteoporosis, a condition that affects more than 10 million Americans and threatens 34 million others.
A leading panel of osteoporosis experts outlined the following action points regarding vitamin D and its role in bone health for physicians treating women and men over 50, including:
* Optimum treatment for bone health should be individualized and may include a combination of exercise, healthy diet, vitamin D and calcium supplements, and potentially, prescription medications.
* Women and men over 50 receiving treatment for osteoporosis need to receive adequate vitamin D. Supplements are recommended as one of the best sources of vitamin D.
* Current daily vitamin D intake requirements for women and men over 50 should be increased to 800-1,000 International Units (IU).
Vitamin D is produced in the body after exposure to UVB rays. Individuals can obtain over 90 percent of vitamin D through sun exposure, but the panel agreed this is becoming increasingly difficult as a result of the wide use of sunscreen and protective clothing, due to concerns about skin cancer and other skin diseases, aging and geographic limitations.
Vitamin D is also found naturally in a limited number of foods, such as fatty fish, and in certain fortified foods such as milk, orange juice and ready-to-eat cereal.
However, many of these foods are not part of most people's diets or must be consumed in large volumes to meet the requirement. Therefore, supplements were recommended as one of the best sources of vitamin D for many older Americans.
