En español | A report from the Institute of Medicine setting new guidelines for vitamin D and calcium increases the recommended level of D but actually maintains the same or decreases the recommended levels for calcium.
Sign up for AARP's Health Newsletter.
Most Americans and Canadians, the report states, are getting enough vitamin D and calcium, although older men and women may fall short.
Vitamin D, Calcium & You
— Tetra Images/Getty Images
The new recommended dietary allowances (RDA).
Vitamin D
Adults up to age 70 need 600 IU (international units) daily, up from 400 IU in 1997.
Men and women 71 and older need 800 IU, up from 600 IU.
Calcium
Men need 1,000 mg daily until age 71, down from 1,200 mg in 1997.
Women, beginning at age 51, and both men and women over age 71, need 1,200 mg of calcium a day, the same as in 1997.
The long-awaited 2010 recommendations update those set in 1997. (See box at right.)
The report also notes that taking more than 4,000 IU of vitamin D daily (up from 2,000 IU) or 2,000 mg of calcium daily (down from 2,500 mg) increases the risk for harm.
In the years since the first report was published, studies have linked these two nutrients, both individually and combined, to a surprisingly wide range of health benefits, including lower blood pressure, reduced risk of bone fracture and decreased risk of breast cancer, as well as protection against heart disease, Parkinson's disease and type 2 diabetes.
As a result, scientists have called for high levels of vitamin D from supplements, anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 IU a day, in addition to sun exposure, fortified foods and mutivitamins.
Although the report confirms the role of calcium and vitamin D for bone health, it points out that studies of vitamin D for other health problems have yielded conflicting and mixed results.
Very high levels of vitamin D (above 10,000 IU a day) may cause kidney and tissue damage. Evidence of possible risks at lower levels is limited, but some studies offer tentative signals about adverse health effects. The report also notes that standards for vitamin D blood test results have not been based on rigorous studies and could lead to doctors diagnosing vitamin D deficiency when people have enough.
Topic Alerts
You can get weekly email alerts on the topics below. Just click “Follow.”
Manage AlertsProcessing
Please wait...
Tell Us WhatYou Think
Please leave your comment below.
You must be signed in to comment.
Sign In | RegisterMore comments »