Vitamin D status more important than high calcium intake

Calcium intake levels of more than 800 mg/day may be unnecessary for maintaining calcium metabolism if vitamin D status is adequate, according to a study in the November 9 issue of JAMA. The importance of adequate vitamin D status for optimum bone health has received increased recognition in recent years, with higher recommended intake levels being proposed by some investigators, according to background information in the article. The ideal intake is not known, and different criteria have been proposed for estimating population requirements. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D has been the generally accepted indicator of vitamin D status, but no universal consensus has been reached regarding which serum values constitute sufficiency. An inverse relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) is well established. Parathyroid hormone is a major hormone maintaining normal serum concentrations of calcium and phosphate and is itself regulated through levels of calcitriol and serum calcium. An insufficiency of vitamin D or calcium is generally associated with an increase in PTH. Read more...

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