Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 59-year-old woman. I weigh 116 pounds and am 5 feet, 3听inches tall. Before I go to the office, I am at the gym four or five mornings a week, working out for an hour. My focus is on weight-bearing exercise. I believe my diet would be considered good (limited meat, high in fruits and vegetables, alcohol in moderation). I do have osteoporosis, for which I take a Fosamax generic. My osteoporosis diagnosis was made five years ago. Since taking a weekly pill, the condition has stabilized and even has improved slightly.
At my most recent visit, about 12 months ago, my physician encouraged me to take increased doses of calcium and vitamin D supplements, which I have done and therein lies the question: I may be misinformed, but I continue to hear/read that vitamin supplements don鈥檛 do much and that absorption is minimal, so why bother?
D.U.
The issue about supplements in general and vitamins in particular is that for people who are healthy and with no symptoms, there is little evidence that they make you healthier. More importantly, there鈥檚 no way to treat symptoms if there aren鈥檛 any, so supplements taken to prevent problems from arising should be proven before making a general recommendation.
In my opinion, the burden of proof to take a treatment to prevent disease needs to be higher than that for treatment of conditions.
In the case of osteoporosis, the data are clear that calcium and vitamin D improve bone density, and it is probable that this combination reduces fracture rate. Calcium is needed when taking Fosamax and the like, to be effective.
Absorption of vitamin D is very good, and vitamin D improves calcium absorption. Most vitamins are easily absorbed.
听
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