Vitamin D has an important role to play in proper development of bones in infants, thereby it is procured by sunlight exposure. But a study says that a greater need is there in elderly especially when exposure to sunlight is limited.
The American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) today issued physician recommendations to generate greater understanding of the role of vitamin D in bone health in women and men over 50, calling for an increase in currently recommended vitamin D intake and encouraging individualized treatment in patients. According to an analysis published in 2004 and based on the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), over 70 percent of women ages 51-70 and nearly 90 percent of women over 70 are not getting the recommended adequate intake of vitamin D. For this reason, AMWA recently convened a panel of experts to discuss the importance of vitamin D for overall bone health, the challenges of ensuring adequate vitamin D intake and how to best communicate this information to primary care physicians, specialists and patients.Vitamin D, an essential component in bone health, helps ensure that the body absorbs and retains calcium, which is critical for building strong, healthy bones. Vitamin D deficiency has often been linked to osteoporosis, a condition that affects more than 10 million Americans and threatens 34 million others.
