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Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®
Published in: Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research® 11/2011

01-11-2011 | Symposium: Bone Repair and Regeneration

How Much Vitamin D Do We Need for Skeletal Health?

Authors: Christoph von Domarus, MD, Jonathan Brown, Dipl-Ing, Florian Barvencik, MD, Michael Amling, MD, Pia Pogoda, MD

Published in: Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research® | Issue 11/2011

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Abstract

Background

Vitamin D is critical for musculoskeletal health and has been implicated in the risk of extraskeletal diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and autoimmune diseases, as well as overall mortality. Although numerous studies deal and have dealt with vitamin D deficiency and its consequences, experts cannot agree on the right 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. This survey aims to shed light on the ongoing vitamin D controversy from different angles.

Questions/purposes

We discuss the minimum threshold for the 25-hydroxyvitamin D level to guarantee optimal health, why vitamin is D critical to musculoskeletal and extraskeletal functions, and new evidence for the success of prevention measures such as food fortification.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and reference lists of articles using several keywords. The most recent search was in February 2011.

Results

While the use of parathyroid hormone as a surrogate measure did not lead to a consensus concerning the required 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum level, the combined analysis of bone mineralization and vitamin D status has established minimum levels of more than 75 nmol/L (30 ng/mL) to guarantee at least skeletal health. An effective measure to approach this status is food fortification, which has been demonstrated by countries such as Canada, the United States, and Finland.

Conclusions

Given the health economic implications of failure to maintain a balanced vitamin D status, action is recommended to integrate current scientific knowledge on vitamin D into physicians’ treatment of patients and governmental policies on food fortification.
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Metadata
Title
How Much Vitamin D Do We Need for Skeletal Health?
Authors
Christoph von Domarus, MD
Jonathan Brown, Dipl-Ing
Florian Barvencik, MD
Michael Amling, MD
Pia Pogoda, MD
Publication date
01-11-2011
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research® / Issue 11/2011
Print ISSN: 0009-921X
Electronic ISSN: 1528-1132
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-011-1880-4

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