Too Much Vitamin A Can Cause Hip Fracture
Women have an active style. We are always on the go. When we reach an age of about 60 (used to be 50), we start hearing the word “older woman”. This represents a time we don’t appear of child-bearing age and are in or have passed the stage of menopause.
Older women who consume too much Vitamin A in food or dietary supplements may be themselves at risk for hip fractures.
The national study of more than 72,000 women aged 34-77 found that retinol, a potent Vitamin A compound, was associated with hip fractures in postmenopausal women.
While Vitamin A is necessary for vision, growth, reproduction and a healthy immune system, too much Vitamin A has been shown to inhibit the formation of new bone and increase the risk of sustaining fractures. The findings suggest that levels of retinol in foods that are fortified with Vitamin A and in dietary supplements should be re-evaluated.
The recommended dietary intake of Vitamin A for women is 700 micrograms per day (mcg/d). Women who consumed over 3,000 mcg/d were 48% more likely to suffer a hip fracture than those who consumed less than 1,250 mcg/day. Women who took a Vitamin A supplement were 40% more likely to experience a hip fracture than women who not.
The findings provide further evidence that chronic intake of excessive Vitamin A, particularly from retinol, may contribute to the development of osteoporotic hip fractures in women. The study found that multivitamins were the primary source of retinol and that liver, fortified milk and breakfast cereals were the main food sources. About one third of women reported using multivitamins when the study began, compared with more than half of the women many years later.
We live in a world that requires us to replenish our bodies with nutrients that are depleted by our environment and the foods we consume. I hope this article serves as a reminder that Vitamins are potent, essential nutrients which have effects that can precipitate harm as well as provide benefit. The optimal source is from the foods in our diets, foods that nature has provided us. Dietary supplements are just that, a supplement to good eating, exercise and lifestyle habits.