The Big Calcium Controversy (Cont'd.)
Do I Need Calcium Supplements for Bone Health?
Osteoporosis is often a silent disease -- you don't know your bones are weak until you break one. So what do you do?
Start by seeing your doctor. Together, you can discuss your diet and work out a rough estimate of your calcium intake.
If you're coming up short, then you either need to improve your diet or take a calcium supplement for bone health to bump you up to the recommended level.
"Although some people with osteoporosis get enough calcium from their diets, I think most will wind up needing a calcium supplement," says Schousboe.
Keep in mind that the numbers may not tell the whole story. Even if it looks like you're getting enough calcium, you might not be absorbing enough of this mineral. That can be due to many factors, like smoking, using certain medications, and many health conditions. So make sure to have a frank discussion with your doctor about any other factors that might increase your risk of osteoporosis.
Vitamin D Supplements for Bone Health
While calcium is crucial, taking it alone might not be enough. To actually get calcium into your bones, the body relies on other vitamins, minerals, and hormones.
The most important may be vitamin D. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium from the kidneys and intestines -- calcium that would otherwise pass out of the body as waste. And according to osteoporosis experts, vitamin D deficiency is disturbingly common.
"In the last few years, the focus for osteoporosis experts has really shifted from calcium deficiency to vitamin D deficiency," says Schousboe.
Vitamin D is actually formed naturally in your body as a result of sun exposure. Usually just 10 to 15 minutes of sun a day will get you enough vitamin D. But your body becomes less efficient at making it as you age. Many of us should be using vitamin D supplements.
But which kind of supplements? You might see different types of vitamin D on your drugstore shelves, like "vitamin D2" and "vitamin D3." What's the difference?
"Vitamin D3 seems to be about three times as potent as vitamin D2," says Schousboe.
While Amin agrees that vitamin D3 may be preferable, she notes that not all pharmacies carry vitamin D3 supplements. If you can't get it in your area, sticking with vitamin D2 is OK. "Some vitamin D is better than none," Amin says.
How Much Vitamin D Do We Need for Bone Health?
And how much vitamin D is necessary for good calcium absorption? Alas, the answer isn't simple. The National Institutes of Health still uses the traditional recommendations, which are:
200 IU (international units) for adults under 50
400 IU for ages 51-70
600 IU for ages 70 or over
But as the widespread deficiencies of vitamin D have become more apparent, some osteoporosis experts think that those levels are not nearly high enough.
"Most of us think that the traditional recommendations for vitamin D are inadequate," says Schousboe. "For anyone at risk of bone loss, I'd recommend at least 800 IU of vitamin D3 a day and more of D2."
The National Osteoporosis Foundation now recommends 800 to 1,000 IU of vitamin D3a day for all adults over age 50.
However, be careful. Never go above the recommended limits of vitamin D unless your doctor tells you too. Taking too much vitamin D -- above 2,000 IU a day -- can be toxic.
Of course, you can't figure out if you have a deficiency of vitamin D on your own. So talk with your doctor. If your risk of osteoporosis seems high, he or she might want to do a special blood test to check your vitamin D levels.
(Concluded in our next Post)
Osteoporosis is often a silent disease -- you don't know your bones are weak until you break one. So what do you do?
Start by seeing your doctor. Together, you can discuss your diet and work out a rough estimate of your calcium intake.
If you're coming up short, then you either need to improve your diet or take a calcium supplement for bone health to bump you up to the recommended level.
"Although some people with osteoporosis get enough calcium from their diets, I think most will wind up needing a calcium supplement," says Schousboe.
Keep in mind that the numbers may not tell the whole story. Even if it looks like you're getting enough calcium, you might not be absorbing enough of this mineral. That can be due to many factors, like smoking, using certain medications, and many health conditions. So make sure to have a frank discussion with your doctor about any other factors that might increase your risk of osteoporosis.
Vitamin D Supplements for Bone Health
While calcium is crucial, taking it alone might not be enough. To actually get calcium into your bones, the body relies on other vitamins, minerals, and hormones.
The most important may be vitamin D. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium from the kidneys and intestines -- calcium that would otherwise pass out of the body as waste. And according to osteoporosis experts, vitamin D deficiency is disturbingly common.
"In the last few years, the focus for osteoporosis experts has really shifted from calcium deficiency to vitamin D deficiency," says Schousboe.
Vitamin D is actually formed naturally in your body as a result of sun exposure. Usually just 10 to 15 minutes of sun a day will get you enough vitamin D. But your body becomes less efficient at making it as you age. Many of us should be using vitamin D supplements.
But which kind of supplements? You might see different types of vitamin D on your drugstore shelves, like "vitamin D2" and "vitamin D3." What's the difference?
"Vitamin D3 seems to be about three times as potent as vitamin D2," says Schousboe.
While Amin agrees that vitamin D3 may be preferable, she notes that not all pharmacies carry vitamin D3 supplements. If you can't get it in your area, sticking with vitamin D2 is OK. "Some vitamin D is better than none," Amin says.
How Much Vitamin D Do We Need for Bone Health?
And how much vitamin D is necessary for good calcium absorption? Alas, the answer isn't simple. The National Institutes of Health still uses the traditional recommendations, which are:
200 IU (international units) for adults under 50
400 IU for ages 51-70
600 IU for ages 70 or over
But as the widespread deficiencies of vitamin D have become more apparent, some osteoporosis experts think that those levels are not nearly high enough.
"Most of us think that the traditional recommendations for vitamin D are inadequate," says Schousboe. "For anyone at risk of bone loss, I'd recommend at least 800 IU of vitamin D3 a day and more of D2."
The National Osteoporosis Foundation now recommends 800 to 1,000 IU of vitamin D3a day for all adults over age 50.
However, be careful. Never go above the recommended limits of vitamin D unless your doctor tells you too. Taking too much vitamin D -- above 2,000 IU a day -- can be toxic.
Of course, you can't figure out if you have a deficiency of vitamin D on your own. So talk with your doctor. If your risk of osteoporosis seems high, he or she might want to do a special blood test to check your vitamin D levels.
(Concluded in our next Post)
posted by Jacques Girard, Ph.D. at 1:29 PM
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