The IOM recommendations for vitamin D are reasonable for the general population, pending definitive evidence that more vitamin D is beneficial,' says Bess Dawson-Hughes, M.D., director of the Bone Metabolism Laboratory at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. “The current recommendations for calcium intake are sound, and food sources of calcium are preferred over supplements. 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.

Evidence of risks at lower levels is limited, but some studies offer tentative signals about adverse health effects. Very high levels of vitamin D (above 10,000 IU a day) may cause kidney and tissue damage. In the years since the first report was published, studies have linked these two nutrients, both individually and combined, to a potentially wide range of benefits, including lower blood pressure, reduced risk of bone fracture and decreased risk of some infections, as well as protection against heart disease, Parkinson's disease and type 2 diabetes.Īs a result, some 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 multivitamins.Īlthough 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 and that definitive studies are needed. 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. The 2010 recommendations update those set 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. Men need 1,000 mg daily until age 71, down from 1,200 mg in 1997.

Men and women 71 and older need 800 IU, up from 600 IU. Adults up to age 70 need 600 IU (international units) daily, up from 400 IU in 1997.

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