Should You Take Vitamin D Supplements?

Half of all women after the age of 50 will have an osteoporosis related break. HipFractures are a problem in the elderly. In the US, more than 300,000 people are hospitalized every year for hip injuries. The one-year mortality is 70% when treated and 21% when surgery is used. It is possible that patients will never return to their pre-fracture level of activity. The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women over the age of 50 be screened, but their strategy has been found to be little better than chance.

There are a lot of vitamins on the market.

Life Extension.com is a typical pro-vitamin D website.

Most people can benefit from taking vitamin D. Since it’s unlikely that you’re getting enough vitamin D from the sun and from diet, vitamin D supplements are going to be a good idea for many individuals… Approximately 42% of Americans have vitamin D deficiency.

Experts don't agree on what constitutes a normal level of vitamins D and E. Some categories are commonly accepted.

• Deficiency: < 20 ng/mL
• Insufficiency: 20-30 ng/mL
• Sufficiency: > 30 ng/mL
• But they warn that “normal” may not be optimal. Some authorities define optimal levels as 40-60 ng/ mL. They go a step further and recommend aiming for 50-80 ng/mL. They suggest having your vitamin D level tested repeatedly along with your routine blood tests for total blood count and lipid profile.

To prevent falls in community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older who are at increased risk for falls, vitamins D and calcium should be taken.

I am not exposed to the sun and I don't drink milk, so I was concerned. I asked my doctor if I could stop taking it, but she said it was probably best to keep taking it.

There is a lot of research suggesting that there is an association between lowvitamin D levels and a number of diseases. If you want to reverse these conditions, you may not be able to increase the amount of vitamins D and D2 with supplements. There is evidence in the article.

The VITAL trial was a large placebo-controlled study that was designed to address the cardiovascular and cancer benefits of vitamins D and omega 3. The authors of the New England Journal of Medicine found no difference between the two groups of people. The editorial was titled "A DecisiveVerdict onVitamin D Supplementation."

They were able to find what they were looking for.

no substantial between-group differences in fracture incidence among participants who were at high fracture risk (i.e., those taking osteoporosis medications [1240 participants] or with a history of fragility fractures [2578 participants].

Those with blood levels below 20 ng/mL were not helped by supplements. The number of people in this group was small, so doubt remains.

There were no significant differences in the incidence of hypercalcemia and kidney stones between the two groups.

The editorialists concluded in the light of the VITAL study.

Providers should stop screening for 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels or recommending vitamin D supplements, and people should stop taking vitamin D supplements to prevent major diseases or extend life.

The terms deficiency and insufficiency should be changed. The level of vitamins D and E has not been decided.

They pointed out that there were still uncertainties and that blood tests might be useful for some patients.

The new information shows that it was a good decision to stop taking the pills.