Lee Swanson Research Update

AMWA Fears Men and Women Over 50 are Facing Vitamin D Deficiency

November 2005

vitamin D

The American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) has issued physician recommendations to generate greater understanding of the role of vitamin D in bone health in women and men over 50, calling for an increase in currently recommended vitamin D intake.

Vitamin D, an essential component in bone health, helps ensure that the body absorbs and retains calcium, which is critical for building strong, healthy bones. Vitamin D deficiency has often been linked to osteoporosis, a condition that affects more than 10 million Americans and threatens 14 million others.

"We agree that there is a need for increased awareness of the role of vitamin D in osteoporosis treatment," said Felicia Cosman, MD, clinical director of the National Osteoporosis Foundation and associate professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University School of Medicine, and chair of the expert panel. "These recommendations will serve to call attention to the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and help ensure that patients, particularly women and men over 50, receive optimal care for bone health."

The panel outlined the following action points regarding vitamin D and its role in bone health for physicians treating men and women over 50, including:

  • Optimum treatment for bone health should be individualized and may include a combination of exercise, healthy diet, vitamin D and calcium supplements, and potentially, prescription medications.
  • Women and men over 50 receiving treatment for osteoporosis need to receive adequate vitamin D. Supplements are recommended as one of the best sources of vitamin D.
  • Current daily vitamin D intake requirements for women and men over 50 should be increased to 800 to 1,000 international units (IU).

Although bone health was the primary focus of the recommendations, the panelists also reviewed other research studies published in the recent months that reflect on vitamin D's ability to potentially protect against lymphoma and cancers of the prostate, breast, colon, ovary and other cancers, and noted that a variety of research is currently underway to examine the effects of vitamin D on other health conditions.

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