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Media Releases
Low Vitamin D Still a Problem for Women with Osteoporosis
Columbia, Mo. (Sept. 20, 2005) - Physicians have known for a long time that vitamin D is essential for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, a condition that affects some 10 million Americans and is likely to develop in 34 million more.
Low vitamin D levels can cause the bones to become thin, which in turn increases the risk of fractures.
Unfortunately, vitamin D deficiency appears to be quite prevalent precisely among those who have the highest risk of osteoporosisÑelderly women, who represent 80 percent of those affected by osteoporosis.
A recent survey found that inadequate vitamin D continues to be a problem for women with osteoporosis. The survey, published in the March issue of the journal Clinical Endocrinology, conducted in 2004 among 1536 postmenopausal women across North America, found that almost 50 percent of the women had lower than normal levels of vitamin D. The principal investigator of the study was Dr. Michael F. Holick, M.D. and Ph.D., of Boston Medical Center.
The majority of the women in the study - about 66 percent - reported having received recommendations from a physician to take vitamin D daily. The mean age of the women in the survey was 71, and 92 percent of them were white. Most of them lived in communities and saw a primary care physician.
Vitamin D is measured by the presence of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D ). Levels of 30 ng/mL or below indicate vitamin D deficiency.
The Institute of Medicine recommends 400 IU of vitamin D per day for people between 51 and 70, and 600 IU per day for people over 70.
Epidemiological studies suggest that low levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of disorders other than osteoporosis, including breast, prostate and colon cancers, type 2 diabetes and hypertension, according to another recent report in Clinical Endocrinology.
Sun exposure triggers vitamin D production in the body. As people age, however, their vitamin D production slows down due to changes to the skin that decrease sun absorption. In addition, older people have a less varied diet with lower vitamin D content.
But the reasons for inadequate vitamin D levels are complex and varied, says Dr. Sara E. Walker, a rheumatologist at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine and co-principal investigator of the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC), a federally funded project at the University of Missouri-Columbia dealing with arthritis, related conditions and disability.
"Metabolism changes as we age, and the body makes less vitamin D," Walker says. "Our population is growing older as baby-boomers age. Also, women need to recognize that vitamin D deficiency can be prevented in many cases by taking one or two vitamin pills per day."
Most standard multivitamin brands contain 400 IU of vitamin D.
Public health campaigns are important vehicle for spreading the message about vitamin D, but patient-physician dialogue should remain the main venue for reaching people at risk, Walker says.
Although osteoporosis affects mainly women over 50, younger women must start good care of their bones early on.
"Younger women are building bone mass in their teenage years and in their 20s, and their bone mass is never going to be higher than that," Walker explains. "If bone mass is good, when it begins to decline, it will do so from a higher point."
Calcium is essential for bone health as well. Doctors recommend 1,500 mg per day.
Food sources rich in vitamin D include:
Fish liver oils from cod, herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines, and other
Milk
Butter
Cheese
Margarine
Cream
Yoghurt
Eggs
Food sources rich in calcium include:
Milk and milk products such as cheese
Grains
Eggs
Fruits
Both men and women can maintain good bone density by avoiding smoking, skipping alcohol, and getting at least 30 minutes of weight-bearing exercise a day.
To arrange an interview with a MARRTC expert on osteoporosis and vitamin D deficiency or any other arthritis related topic, contact Becky Woelfel, Senior Information Specialist, at (573) 882-2914 or by email at woelfelr@missouri.edu
The Missouri Arthritis Research Rehabilitation and Training Center (MARRTC) was established in 1971 at the University of Missouri-Columbia Arthritis Center. MARRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (H133B031120) and is the only federally funded arthritis rehabilitation research and training center in the country.
As part of the MU Health Communication Research Center (HCRC), MARRTC's mission is to become a national leader in the areas of disability management and communication, improve the quality of life and promote independent living among people who have arthritis and arthritic conditions. MARRTC's core message is "Disability is everyone's issue."
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