March 2005

Women over 50 need more info on
vitamin D and bone health

Women over 50 may lack an overall understanding of the importance of vitamin D to bone health, according to new national survey results released by the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR). In addition, more than half of the women surveyed (58 percent) reported they have not discussed the importance of vitamin D with their physicians.

Vitamin D, an essential component of bone health, helps ensure that the body absorbs and retains calcium, which is critical for building strong, healthy bones. Vitamin D insufficiency is associated with reduced calcium absorption, bone loss and increased risk of fracture. The first-ever Surgeon General’s Report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis (2004) stressed the importance of getting enough vitamin D as well as calcium and exercise to maintain good bone health, especially for the 10 million Americans who suffer from osteoporosis and the 34 million estimated to have low bone mass.

In the survey of nearly 500 American women over age 50 — 20 percent of whom are being treated for osteoporosis or osteopenia — less than half (46 percent) felt vitamin D was “extremely important” for maintaining bone health, whereas almost three-quarters (72 percent) felt that way about calcium. One in six women (16 percent) thought vitamin D was only “somewhat important” or “not important at all” for bone health, versus four percent for calcium.

“Despite calcium and vitamin D both being essential to bone health, these survey results uncover a discrepancy in the relative importance women assign to these two nutrients,” said Jo Parrish, vice president for communications, Society for Women’s Health Research. “Vitamin D is just as important for your bones as calcium because without adequate vitamin D intake, your bones are not getting the full benefits of calcium, which can lead to poor bone health.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, in vitamin D deficient individuals, less than ten percent of calcium may be absorbed.

Harris Interactive® conducted the survey for the Society for Women’s Health Research, with funding provided by Merck & Co., Inc., by telephone between Feb. 17-21, 2005, among a nationwide cross section of 492 U.S. females aged 50 and older.

The Society for Women’s Health Research is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the health of all women through research, education and advocacy.

Source: Society for Women’s Health Research, www.womenshealthresearch.org

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