While people over 65 can gain or retain bone by taking extra calcium and
vitamin D supplements, researchers say any gains fade away if elders stop
taking the additives.
Scientists at Tufts University in Boston showed that healthy men and
women over 65 who took the supplements daily for three years increased
bone tissue in the spine, hip and elsewhere in the body.
The
spine and hip are two areas particularly prone to fracture in elders. In
a follow-up study to see whether benefits lasted, 295 volunteers from the
original study no longer took supplements provided by the researchers,
though they were free to take their own supplements.
The
results of the follow-up study show that by the end of two years, no bone
benefits to the spine or hip remained, says lead researcher Bess
Dawson-Hughes. The study is described Agricultural Research magazine, a
publication of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Based on
the findings, the researchers conclude that elders should try to meet the
current daily recommendations of 1,200 milligrams of calcium and 400 to
600 international units of vitamin D from food and supplements on a
continuous basis.
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