Did You Know?

Study Backs D and Calcium Supplementation

July 2010

New research suggests that vitamin D and calcium supplements may be helping Americans approach adequate intake levels. Writing in the Journal of Nutrition, scientists sought to dissect data from the most recently available National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to assess the impact of supplements as well as food and drink on overall vitamin D and calcium intake. The results of the research indicate that inadequate intake of calcium and vitamin D is still quite widespread despite the increased popularity of supplements. Nevertheless, among certain age groups, supplement use had a big impact on boosting the number of people reaching adequate levels. For example, 21% of women in the 19–30 age group got enough vitamin D from their diet alone compared to 41% when supplements were added to the equation. And in the calcium data set, only 22% of men aged 51–70 consumed enough of the nutrient in their food and drink compared to 32% with supplement use added.

Journal of Nutrition 140(4):817–822, 2010

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