Should You Be Getting More Vitamin D?

To Keep Bones Strong And Help Fight Disease, Some Want Higher Recommended Levels

(CBS)  Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and keep our bones strong. But "D" does much more than that and, as The Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay reports, many experts say it may be time to raise the recommended amount.

Internist Vicky Lopachin is up on the latest research and makes sure her patients - like Jean Crystal - are getting enough vitamin D, which means more than the recommend daily 400 units.

"As you go through menopause and really start to think about bone loss, it's important to have vitamin D, and probably more than we used to think," Lopachin said.

Nutrition experts like Harvard's Walter Willet say adequate vitamin D may help prevent disease.

"There's very strong evidence that not getting enough vitamin D is likely to lead to excess risk of colon cancer, probably some other cancers, probably multiple sclerosis, probably asthma," Willet said. "And the list is rapidly growing."

The main sources of "D" are the sun - our bodies manufacture it when UV rays hit our skin - and foods like fortified milk.

Willet says most Americans are still getting too little.

"It looks like about two-thirds of Americans are not getting enough vitamin D," Willet said. "That's largely because we've, in our civilization, put on clothes. We work inside, and more recently, we're even putting on sunscreen."

The choice between getting more sun and taking supplements is clear to the American Academy of Dermatology. They say rising skin cancer rates mean Americans need to boost their "D" through diet and supplements - not by spending more time in the sun. Increasing the recommended daily amount of vitamin D is the next step, Willet says.

"What's quite clear now is that more will be better for most people," he said. "We don't know exactly how much more, so that's why most of us are recommending a fairly cautious increase."

The exact amount of vitamin D people should be getting everyday is still under debate, but 1000 International Units per day is considered safe. Some say the level needs to be even higher - especially for some groups like the elderly or those with darker skin if they are going to get health benefits.

I also am a 52 year old white female, 135 pounds and recently diagnosed with significant osteoporosis in my spine. I too was shocked as I have for the last 20 years been an avid supplement consumer and quite physically active. I have never been much of a dairy person, but drank soy with added calcium and had a healthy diet. My blood test showed I was very low in my Vitamin D and the doctor put me on 8 weeks of mega D (50,000 units) once a week. Then I will go down to 800 units a day following. I am also taking (2) 600mg calcium tabs a day plus 200mg I get in a multi vitamin (total 1400 a day) and just started taking Actonel once a week. My doctor will test my bone density again in a year. I am not a drinker, there is a family history of osteoporosis (my mother).

I also am a 52 year old white female, 135 pounds and recently diagnosed with significant osteoporosis in my spine. I too was shocked as I have for the last 20 years been an avid supplement consumer and quite physically active. I have never been much of a dairy person, but drank soy with added calcium and had a healthy diet. My blood test showed I was very low in my Vitamin D and the doctor put me on 8 weeks of mega D (50,000 units) once a week. Then I will go down to 800 units a day following. I am also taking (2) 600mg calcium tabs a day plus 200mg I get in a multi vitamin (total 1400 a day) and just started taking Actonel once a week. My doctor will test my bone density again in a year. I am not a drinker, there is a family history of osteoporosis (my mother).

[mesumo]

I'm a 55 year old, white female, 133 pounds and was recently diagnosed with osteoporosis. My bone density test showed a 25% bone loss with osteoporosis in my spine and both hips. I am shocked! I have exercised regularly for over 30 years, I have sunbathed since childhood, drink tons of skim milk, eat a balanced diet, and for the passed 5.5 years I've worked in a high school in a job that requires my walking all day....I log in 6-9 miles a day; sometimes more. A blood test showed there was no Vitamin D deficiency not a thyroid problem. I do have asthma, but have had it under control for years. I did smoke for 20 years (moderately), but quit in 1996. I do consume alcohol. I am actually very upset with this diagnosis. I'm wondering if there was a mistake with the test. My doctor wants to repeat it in a year. I have started taking 1200 mil. calcium, 1000 Vit. D and Fosamax once a week. I will do this for a year, and hope to see good results. But in reading about Fosamax and osteoporosis, some thinking is that the drug companies make big bucks on drugs such as Fosamax, and that osteoporosis can be managed without this medication. I will, however, take the drugs, change my diet, incorporated "more" exercise, cut down on alcohol comsumption......do all the things I'm told, (because I'm afraid not to) and will re-evaluate my condition in a year. I know of no family history of osteoporosis, and my mother passed away at the age of 52.