Video

Traffic Pollution Can Inscreas Your Blood Pressure

A Texas Playground Caters Especially to Special Needs Children

BPA in Plastics May be Linked to Asthma

Communication Is Important When It Comes to Prostate Cancer

The Number of Home Births Has Gone Up

Which American Couples Are More Likely to Stay Together?

Workplace Wellness Can Help Reduce the Risk for Heart Problems

Some Parents May Hasten Death for Terminally Ill Children

Fitness Academics

Secondhand Smoke Increases Risk for Heart Disease in Kids

Toddlers Don't Learn Vocabulary From TV

Despite Worries, Most Parents Vaccinate Their Kids Anyway

Food Allergies Can Be Treated With the Allergen Foods

Signs of Heart Disease Could Be As Early as 3 in Obese Kids

The Number of Women Having Strokes is Rising

Short-Term, High-Dose Vitamin D2 May Ease Deficiency

Posted on 10/27/2009, 09:00
By -- Randy Dotinga

Expert says treatment could prevent several bone problems

TUESDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers are reporting that eight weeks of treatment with large doses of vitamin D2 can eliminate vitamin D deficiency, and twice-monthly doses can keep the condition at bay for up to six years.

The dosage -- 50,000 international units (IU) every week or two -- was large but did not appear to be toxic, according to the study published in the Oct. 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Vitamin D is crucial for the body. Among its attributes, it strengthens bones by helping the body absorb calcium and phosphorus from food. Low levels of vitamin D can cause rickets in children and an adult bone disorder called osteomalacia.

A deficiency can also lead to osteoporosis, and research has suggested that it also has something to do with higher risks for such diseases as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases and flu, the study's senior author, Dr. Michael F. Holick, director of the Bone Healthcare Clinic and the Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory at Boston University School of Medicine, said in a university news release.

For their study, the researchers treated 41 people who had low levels of vitamin D with 50,000 IU of the vitamin each week for two months. On average, their vitamin D levels nearly doubled after eight weeks, the study found.

Another 45 people were given 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 every two weeks. The researchers found that their levels also went up, but not quite as much.

"Vitamin D2 is effective in raising [vitamin D] levels when given in physiologic and pharmacologic doses and is a simple method to treat and prevent vitamin D deficiency," Holick said. "While treating and preventing vitamin D deficiency, these large doses of vitamin D2 do not lead to vitamin D toxicity."

The U.S. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements recommends that you always talk to your health care provider before taking any supplements.

More information

The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more on vitamin D.

SOURCE: Boston University Medical Center, news release, Oct. 26, 2009

More news in Osteoporosis...

BigHealthTree.com Disclaimer

Bighealthtree.com Does Not Provide Medical Advice. This site, including the above information, is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or health advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified health or medical professional before starting any new treatment, changing existing treatment, or altering your current exercise and/or diet program. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911 (or the emergency services in your area) or your doctor immediately.

Rating: 2.9 / 5 (40 votes)