Vitamin D, Calcium for Fracture Risk Questioned

Vitamin D and calcium supplements have long been considered great ways to prevent bone loss.

Now, WebMD reports that according to new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, those may not be sufficient to prevent osteoporosis-related bone fractures in most older women.

In fact, the report further states that not enough information exists to say with certainty that vitamin D with or without calcium helps anyone prevent fractures.

While the study recommend that post-menopausal not take 400 international units of vitamin D plus 1,000 milligrams of calcium, Task Force member Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo didn’t write off the popular vitamin.

“We know that vitamin D is important, and that a healthy lifestyle should include sources of vitamin D,” she told WebMD News. “It’s just not good for preventing fractures at the doses studied.”

More studies are needed to determine what role if any vitamin D has in preventing cancer.

WebMD reports that vitamin D deficiency has been linked to host of ailments, including: osteoporosis, heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and some autoimmune disorders. The human body produces vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, and it is added to some foods, but many take supplements to get the right amount in their diet.

But vitamin D is no wonder drug, and some wonder if too much of it can be a bad thing.

Australian Professor John McGrath, a University of Queensland psychiatrist, claims, in an article by The Australian, that studies show both high and low levels of vitamin D have been linked to increased risk of schizophrenia and mortality.

For that reason and others, he suggests that adding vitamin D to food is a risky proposition.