Posted June 13, 2009
Vitamin D can lower your odds of breaking a hip or other bone.
Researchers pooled the results of 12 trials that tested vitamin D on bones other than the spine in more than 42,000 people and 8 trials that tested vitamin D on hip fractures in more than 40,000 people. All the trials involved people aged 65 or older.
In the trials that gave higher levels of vitamin D (480 IU to 770 IU a day), the risk of broken bones dropped by 20 percent. In the few trials that gave lower levels (340 to 380 IU a day), the risk of fractures didn’t fall.
What to do: If you’re under 65, take a daily multivitamin with at least 400 IU of vitamin D. If you’re 65 or older, take at least 600 IU a day. Many experts recommend 1,000 IU a day for people over 70.
Arch. Intern. Med. 169: 551, 2009.
Editor’s note: Have your (or a loved one’s) vitamin D levels checked by getting a 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood test, also known as 25 (OH) D. This can help determine if you need higher amounts of vitamin D supplements. Aim to get your levels in the “high-normal” range, not just in the “low-normal” for optimal health.-Megan Witt, Registered Dietitian and Certified LEAP Therapist.