Vitamin D and Calcium Work together for stronger bonesVitamin DOsteoarthritis can cause thinning of the bones, so patients with this disease may need additional vitamin D and calcium. In addition, steroid medications, like prednisone, which are often given to arthritis sufferers because they are a powerful anti-inflammatory, can cause bone deterioration. In 1974, some British scientists published information about 17 elderly women with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Five of the women had suffered fractures in their leg bones, while the other 12 had not. Upon interviewing the study subjects, the researchers found that the women with the fractured bones all had diets deficient in vitamin D. These five women were also housebound and therefore unable to spend time in the sunshine, which produces vitamin D.
In the same study that examined the effect of antioxidants on osteoarthritis of the knee, researchers also evaluated the effects of vitamin D. They found that patients taking vitamin D or eating a diet high in the vitamin could expect a three-fourths reduction in the risk of disease progression. Greater blood levels of the vitamin were also associated with lower risk of progression. Half of women treated with osteoporosis drugs may have insufficient vitamin D levels Current guidelines recommend 400 IU of vitamin D per day and 600 IU
per day above age 61. Although supplements are often necessary, vitamin
D can be toxic in high doses, and no one should take more than 1,200 IU per day. This study included 1,536 women from 61 study sites who had been taking osteoporosis medications for a minimum of three months. Participants were allowed to have used vitamin D supplements, but were excluded if they had recently decreased or increased the amount taken. Fifty-two percent of the women were found to have inadequate levels of vitamin D. Eighteen percent had levels 1/3 below the standard. Sixty-three percent of women who reported an intake of 400 international units or less of supplemental vitamin D had inadequate vitamin D levels compared to 45 percent of those whose intake was 400 international units or greater. The absence of prior discussion with a physician concerning vitamin D's importance to bone health was also associated with lower levels of the vitamin. This study was published in the June 2005 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & MetabolismRead on for both medical and natural treatment approaches Some of our Moist Heat wraps for Arthritis ....
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