How much Vitamin D do you need?

CEBU, Philippines - As vital as it is, calcium is just one piece of the bone health puzzle. Calcium helps maintain bone density and strength. But for efficient absorption of calcium

to occur, the body needs an adequate supply of vitamin D. Along with calcium, vitamin D also helps to prevent and treat osteoporosis. Deficiency in vitamin D has been shown to cause muscle weakness, which can compromise a person’s ability to maintain balance and stability. This contributes to an increased risk of falling and fractures.

Moreover, there is scientific evidence that implicates vitamin D deficiency with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, cardiovascular heart disease, macular degeneration, and many common deadly cancers (colorectal, breast, prostate, pancreas).

The link between vitamin D deficiency and chronic diseases is actually not that surprising, considering that most tissues in the body have a vitamin D receptor. Moreover, the active form of vitamin D is made in many different tissues, including the colon, prostate, and breast.

Who’s at risk?

Vitamin D deficiency is more common than many people think. About one billion people worldwide are either insufficient or deficient in vitamin D. It is highly prevalent in people over the age of 65 years and in those with osteoporosis. Numerous studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is common in postmenopausal women. Postmenopausal women are particularly at risk for vitamin D deficiency because they often have little or no exposure to sunlight and inadequate intake of vitamin D-containing foods. Moreover, skin levels of vitamin D and the skin’s ability to manufacture the vitamin diminish with age.

About one in three women 60 to 70 years of age and almost seven in 10 of those 80 years of age or older have osteoporosis. Almost half of women and about 1 in 5 men 50 years of age or older will sustain an osteoporosis-related fracture in their remaining lifetime.

Get some sun, supplement vitamin D intake

Humans need some degree of sun exposure to convert vitamin D present in skin from its precursor to its active form. Experts recommend sensible sun exposure of the arms, legs, hands and face of 5-10 minutes two to three times a week. They also advise eating vitamin D-rich foods regularly, such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, egg yolks, liver, as well as vitamin D-fortified foods such as milk, orange juice, some breads and cereals, margarines, cheeses, and yogurts.

However, it is very difficult to meet the recommended vitamin D level from food. There are also concerns about the risk of skin cancer with excessive sun exposure. To minimize the health risk associated with sun exposure while maximizing the potential benefits of maintaining optimum vitamin D status, experts recommend sensible sun exposure and adequate vitamin D supplementation.

Updated recommendations for daily vitamin D intake

Composed of leading experts in osteoporosis, the US National Osteoporosis Foundation recently updated its recommendations for daily adequate vitamin D intake after careful consideration and review of a growing body of evidence that Vitamin D deficiency is widespread throughout the world especially in adults age 50 and older. The US NOF recommends that adults under 50 years of age get 400-800 International Units (IU) of vitamin D daily while adults 50 and over get 800-1000 IU of vitamin D daily. People with osteoporosis and who have low vitamin D levels may need to take extra vitamin D medications prescribed by a physician on top of adequate dietary vitamin D, sunlight exposure and supplements. A meta-analysis of randomized control trials showed that oral vitamin D supplementation between 700 to 800 IU/day appears to reduce the risk of hip and any non-vertebral fractures in ambulatory or institutionalized elderly persons.

Talk to your doctor about your vitamin D status and whether vitamin D supplementation is right for you. (Contributed by MSD)