While health-conscious women have known about calcium's role in protecting bone health for decades, the relatively recent focus on vitamin D may catch some older women off guard. Until recently, women between 40 and 50 were urged to take in 200 IUs of vitamin D each day. Today, the official recommendations are three to four times higher, depending on whether you are closer to "40 plus" or "70 plus."
Benefits
Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium. In turn, calcium helps lower your risk of osteoporosis by promoting bone health, according to the National Institute of Health's Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases program. Working together, the two nutrients also promote proper function of your heart, muscles and nerves. People with low levels of vitamin D are more at risk for heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and some forms of cancer, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Current Recommendations
The current recommendation for daily vitamin D intake for women and men over 40 is 600 IUs. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding and over 40, the suggested intake is also 600 IUs. In fact, the suggested amount of 600 IUs applies to all males and females between 1 and 70. The suggested amount does not rise to 800 IUs for both women and men until age 71.
Considerations
Always ask your doctor for the latest research and recommendations. The current recommendations reflect the 2010 decision by the Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board to increase the recommended intake of vitamin D for all age groups. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, however, some health advocates believe adults need a higher daily amount of the nutrient for optimal bone health. A 2006 report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, for example, posits that all adults need at least 1,000 IUs of vitamin D each day.
Dietary Sources
A serving of pink salmon provides almost 90 percent of your daily value (DV) of vitamin D, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Sardines and mackerel have almost 40 percent of your DV for the nutrient. Fortified juice, milk and breakfasts cereals are also excellent sources of vitamin D, contributing an average of 15 percent of the DV of vitamin D. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's database for vitamin D reveals that creamy soups and puddings, pork and other kinds of fish all contribute at least 10 percent of your DV for vitamin D. Eggs and some beef varieties are also high in the nutrient.
Sunlight and Supplements
Along with food sources, people may obtain vitamin D from sunlight or from supplements. Bodies make vitamin D when skin is exposed to sunlight. For that reason, if you are indoors most of the time, or wear sunscreen and protective clothing while outside, you may not get much vitamin D benefit. Because doctors recommend such protective measures to avoid skin cancer, it's possible that your need for vitamin D may be surpassed by your need to limit exposure to the sun. You may choose to take a supplement to offset what you don't obtain from the sun or from your regular diet. The two forms of vitamin D available as supplements are vitamin D2, or and vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, vitamin D3 supplements may boost your levels of the nutrient more efficiently, but ask your physician before changing your vitamin regimen.
References
- National Institutes of Health; Office of Dietary Supplements; Vitamin D
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Vitamin D
- NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases: Calcium and Vitamin D -- Important at Every Age
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Vitamin D
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Vitamin D Report; H. A. Bischoff-Ferrari, et al; July 2006
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