Boosting Vitamin D Levels for Healthy Bones

Vitamin D may be very important for postmenopausal women seeking to avoid hip fractures, so make sure to get outside in the sun and eat well.

Scientists at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital studied the vitamin D levels of postmenopausal women admitted with hip fractures versus those admitted for elective joint replacement surgery.

The subjects that were admitted with hip fractures had lower levels of the vitamin than women (with and without osteoporosis) that were having elective joint replacement surgeries.

A lack of vitamin D can lead to a reduction in how well the body is able to absorb calcium which is necessary for the body to battle bone loss.

Researchers say that Dietary Reference Intake guidelines from the National Institutes of Health recommend 400 International Units of vitamin D supplement daily for individuals from age 51 through 70 years and 600 IU daily for those older than 71 years. Supplements of about 800 IU of vitamin D per day and calcium may be necessary to attenuate bone loss in the winter and to reduce fractures.