Calcium and Vitamin D Facts

La Jolla Chiropractic Health Center
Michael B. Ackerman, D.C.
1110 Torrey Pines Rd., Suite G
La Jolla, California 92037 www.DepthHealing.com
Telephone: 619-687-7676
Fax: 866-831-4642
Interesting Facts about Calcium and Vitamin D
-Vitamin D 800-1000 IU/Day reduces cancer, osteoporosis, and possibly the risk of M.S.
-Vit D production decreases with age, so especially elderly people need higher levels.
-The Canadian Cancer Society in June called for all Canadian adults to get 1,000 IU of
vitamin D daily.
Vitamin D deficiency is now associated with higher risks of 22 forms of cancer, heart
disease, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, flu and many other disorders.
Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in June, 2007, a four-year clinical
trial followed 1,200 women who took high levels of vitamin D and matched them against a
control group who did not take the vitamin. Those rich in vitamin D had up to 77 percent
fewer cancers as compared to the control group. That's twice the impact on cancer risk
attributed to smoking!
Pregnant women should consult their physicians about getting 2,000 international units
(IU) of vitamin D daily - 10 times the current government recommendation
1200 mg of Calcium per day decreases risk of colon cancer by 27 percent
Ideally, healthy adults should get between 1200 to 1500 mg. of Calcium per day. After age
35 women can no longer deposit calcium into their bones using most regular supplements. A
supplemental form of calcium which can build bone in women after age 35-- and even after
menopause--is called microcrystalline hydroxyapitate. It is available from a few different
companies, but the one I recommend is “Bone Up” by Jarrow Formulas. Six (6) capsules
per day supply sufficient calcium, magnesium, some vitamin D, and many other cofactors for
continued bone growth and maintenance.
More than 50% of women already being treated for osteoporosis are Vit D deficient.
25-50 % of the population over age 50 is Vit D deficient
Vit D deficiency is associated with increased risk of…
- 22 types of cancer including breast, colon, and prostate
- Multiple sclerosis
- Hypertension
- Rhuematiod Arthritis
- Type I Diabetes
- Chronic Pain Syndromes (90 percent of people with chronic non-specific pain
have Vit D deficiency)
Calcium and Vitamin D Page2
*Sometimes less than 10 Minutes of daily sun exposure can prevent Vit D deficiency *
…The time of year, the latitude at which we live, the amount of clothing we wear, our skin
pigmentation, and the amount of sun screen we have on are all factors which affect how
much Vitamin D we can produce from the sun…
Click here to read an excellent article explaining these factors in detail.
Conditions Contributing to Vitamin D Deficiency (partial list)
· Geography – northern latitudes have decreased amounts of sun radiation
· Weather/Season – overcast, rainy, or cold regions requiring less outdoor time and
more clothes cover for the body
· Statin Drug users or patients on cholesterol lowering medications
· Malabsorption syndromes – especially interfering with fat digestion
· Normal ageing
· Institutionalized elderly patients with decreased sun exposure
· Lack of sun exposure and sunscreen use – the UV(B) burning rays that sunscreens are
designed to block are the same wavelength necessary to produce Vitamin D in the
skin.
· People who largely spend their days indoors due to work, climate, habit
· Cancers: prostate, colon, breast
· Long-term: use of prednisone, anti-convulsant medications
· Use of medications with photosensitivity precautions
· Liver and kidney disease – including kidney stones and gall stones
· Congestive heart failure
· Peripheral arterial disease
· Rickets
· Systemic Lupus Erathematosus (S.L.E.)
· Osteoporosis
· Osteomalacia
.