Panel to postmenopausal women: Don't take Vitamin D, calcium

[Eugene]

Source: USA Today

Panel to postmenopausal women: Don't take Vitamin D, calcium

By Janice Lloyd, USA TODAY Updated 1h 53m ago

A government advisory panel today said healthy postmenopausal women should not take daily low doses of vitamin D and calcium to prevent bone fractures. The panel said there is insufficient evidence to evaluate the risks or benefits of larger doses.

In its report, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force also said existing research is insufficient to assess the risks or benefits of taking vitamin D — with or without calcium — to prevent cancer in adults.

Some studies link higher levels of vitamin D with lower rates of colorectal cancer and reduced risks for other cancer, including breast, prostate and pancreatic cancers. These reports are mixed and therefore inconclusive, according to the advisory panel.

This is the same panel that grabbed headlines recently by recommending against PSA (prostate-specific antigen) tests to screen for prostate cancer in healthy men and advised that women 50 to 74 have a mammogram every other year, instead of annually.

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Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-06-07/panel-vitamin-d-recommendations/55549414/1

[orpupilofnature57]

1. In essence ,be confused by these findings..

as they are inconclusive ? How much are we paying these people ?

[unblock]

2. i think i'm gonna start doing the opposite of everything this group suggests.

in fact, this year i think i'll get a psa test AND a mammogram!

[leftyohiolib]

3. now that preventative maintenance is covered under insurance there seems to be a trickling

of news saying that maybe you dont need so many check-ups for things. hmmmm... my guess we'll hear more and more of these

[silverweb]

5. Of course!

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]It is far, far better to require patented bisphosphonates to reverse osteoporosis, dontchaknow!

[pnwmom]

7. Yeah, really.

[pnwmom]

6. The headline is misleading. What the research actually says about vitamin D is that the amount given

didn't prevent cancer. The research doesn't show whether higher doses (as are commonly recommended) would be effective.

[mopinko]

9. low doses of vitamin D and calcium

yeah, don't take low doses. take the correct dose. like, do the blood test and make sure your blood levels are normal.
man, research from the department of duh.

[thecrow]

8. I have a friend who moved to India

During the monsoon season, he started feeling not well and went to a doctor.
The doctor said Aha! You moved here from NY... and NY doesn't have rainy season
so start taking Vitamin D3! Voila! Now he feels normal and his joints stopped aching.
It was the sun that his body was missing.

I take D3 every day with calcium. My bone density scans were perfect.
I tried to get my mom on a calcium supplement, but she was 80 and already had osteoporosis.
A fractured hip last year contributed greatly to her demise and she died.
So it may not cure cancer, but I'm taking the calcium and trying to keep my bones strong.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

10. What's cool is that you speak of a doctor who told a patient to take

vitamins to feel better. If it had been in the US your friend would be
on some expensive drug X, made by Merck because their local sales rep
was taking the doctor who prescribed drug X out to play golf every
week.

Your friend might have felt better, but years later there would be lawyers
on TV asking for anyone who took drug X who is now blind, or lame, or
died...to call a 1-800 for representation.

[Dorian Gray]

11. That's not true

my doctors tested my D levels and put me on a high dosage of it. It's not that unusual here. (Both fertility doctor and my General Practitioner tested my D levels.)

[thecrow]

13. Very true

considering I sued about Vioxx giving me a stroke

[Sgent]

14. Um what?

I've had vitamin D levels tested done when suffering from depression.

[NickB79]

15. Not true. My doctor suggested Vit. D for mood problems

And a coworker has a prescription sun bulb to deal with SAD.

[LaurenG]

12. I thought it was the calcium supplements that are proving to be worthless

I heard the jury is still out on Vitamin D. In fact if people stop taking Vitamin D they need to get 10 - 15 minutes of sun a day wearing practically nothing.