More than half of women worldwide after menopause suffer from osteoporosis due to a deficiency in vitamin D, regardless of their age, region, or season, according to researchers from the UK, the US, and the Netherlands. This finding indicates that postmenopausal women not only need to supplement calcium but also require vitamin D.
A research team led by Dr. Mary K. Beard from the University of Utah conducted an assessment of vitamin D levels in over 4,100 women over the age of 55 who were diagnosed with osteoporosis in various locations around the world.
The study results showed that vitamin D deficiency occurred in 52% of women in North America, 52% in European women, 82% in Middle Eastern women, 51% in Latin American women, 63% in Asian women, and 59% in women from the Pacific region. These figures showed no significant differences between winter and summer.
Dr. Fabio Massari from the Metabolism Research Institute in Buenos Aires, who leads the study on vitamin D deficiency in Argentine women, stated that the normal aging process includes a decline in vitamin D supply through sunlight exposure. The absorption of vitamin D from food and the metabolism of vitamin D also decrease as people age.
He recommends that all osteoporosis patients check their vitamin D levels because “it affects treatment outcomes for maintaining strong bones.”
TƯỜNG VY (According to Reuters)
