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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #163752
Title: VITAMIN D ROUND TABLE

Author
item DAWSON-HUGHES, BESS - TUFTS-HNRCA
item HEANEY, ROBERT - CREIGHTON UNIV
item HOLICK, MICHAEL - BOSTON UNIVERSITY SOM
item LIPS, PAUL - VRIJE UNIVERSITY
item MEUNIER, PIERRE - EDOUARD HERRIOT HOSPITAL
item VIETH, REINHOLD - MT SINAI HOSPITAL

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/8/2003
Publication Date: 7/9/2004
Citation: Dawson-Hughes, B., Heaney, R.P., Holick, M., Lips, P., Meunier, P.J., Vieth, R. 2004. Vitamin D round table. In: Burckhardt, P., Dawson-Hughes, B., Heaney, R., editors. Nutritional Aspects of Osteoporosis. 2nd edition. San Diego, CA.: Elsiever, Inc. p. 263-270.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: This round table discussion was conducted as part of an international symposium attended by nutritional scientists, and the round table participants included experts in the field of vitamin D. This discussion focused on the role of vitamin D in bone health and addressed two questions ' what is the optimal level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) for the skeleton, and how much vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is needed to reach the optimal level of 25(OH)D? The participants considered several criteria by which the optimal 25(OH)D level might be defined. These included the level needed to maximally suppress the circulating parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentration, the 25(OH)D level associated with the highest bone mineral density (BMD), with greatest calcium absorption, with reduced rates of bone loss, and with reduced fracture rates. The issue of vitamin D status and risk of falling was addressed in the discussion. A consensual opinion was reached that vitamin D insufficiency is much more common than previously believed and this is relevant to larger possibilities of vitamin D supplements for preventing fractures, particularly in elderly subjects; in addition, it is important to ensure that the serum 25(OH)D level obtained after vitamin D supplementation reaches this new threshold. An opinion poll was taken at the beginning and end of the discussion, and results show a clear preference among these scientists in the general nutrition community for a 25(OH)D level of 80 nmol/L or higher. However, all participants conceded that the questions addressed are not yet fully answered and will require ongoing evaluation of data from a variety of studies.