Bones & aging.Taking both calcium and vitamin D vitamin D Any of a group of fat-soluble alcohols important in calcium metabolism in animals to form strong bones and teeth and prevent rickets and osteoporosis. It is formed by ultraviolet radiation (sunlight) of sterols (see steroid) present in the skin. supplements can curb bone loss and cut the risk of broken bones This article or section has multiple issues: * It does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by citing reliable sources. * It needs to be expanded. Please help [ improve the article] or discuss these issues on the talk page. in healthy older people, says a new study from the Jean Mayer Jean Mayer (February 19, 1920 – January 1, 1993) was a renowned French-American nutritionist and the tenth president of Tufts University from 1976 to 1992. During his lifetime, Mayer was known as a leading expert and activist on hunger issues. U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University Tufts University, main campus at Medford, Mass.; coeducational; chartered 1852 by Universalists as a college for men. It became a university in 1955. Jackson College, formerly a coordinate undergraduate college for women, merged with the College of Liberal Arts in in Boston. Bess Dawson-Hughes and colleagues studied 176 men and 213 women who were 65 or older and living at home. On average, they were 71 years old and consumed roughly 700 milligrams of calcium and 200 International Units international units, n.pl a unit of measurement that evaluates the potency of a substance. Because it measures potency instead of quantity, there is a different international unit-to-mg conversion ratio for each particular substance. (IU) of vitamin D a day from their food. Each was given a daily dose of 500 mg of calcium plus 700 IU of vitamin D or a (lookalike but inactive) placebo. After three years, the calcium-and-vitamin-D group had lost less bone than the placebo group. What's more, the seniors on supplements had 50 percent fewer fractures. "People over 65 who don't consume three or four low-fat dairy products a day should consider taking a supplement to bring their total intake to 1,200 mg of calcium and 600 IU of vitamin D each day," says Dawson-Hughes. "That goes for both men and women." |
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