Recent research shows that high doses of vitamin D can have a significant impact on preventing bone fractures in older people.
The study was done by doctors at the University Hospital in Zurich. Researchers examined 12 previous studies that tracked vitamin D rates and fractures in more than 30,000 patients aged 65 or older. Previous meta-analyses have only looked at how much vitamin D patients were prescribed to take. This study examined how much patients actually took.
“The question of how much vitamin D is enough is likely to remain muddled as long as meta-analyses focus on trial methodology rather than on biology,” said Robert Heaney, MD, one of the primary researchers.
The results show that regular doses of vitamin D can significantly decrease the risk of fractures.
“For the last several years I have been recommending higher doses of vitamin D to my patients,” says MN Orthopedic Specialist, Dr. Lance Silverman. These findings are welcome. The previously established RDA only describes what is needed to prevent overt manifestation of disease, not best overall function. While vitamin D can be made by sun exposure, many of my patients in Minnesota and the surrounding states spend several months indoors during the winter. The time they spend outdoors as the get older is limited by work and by justified fears of skin cancer. Oral supplements are inexpensive and easy to find. I recommend nearly every patient to start them. It’s never too early or too late to start maximizing bone density.”
