AboutDr. Ravindra Bhaskar Ghooi Expertise I can provide information on drugs and medicines, their actions, uses, interactions and adverse effects. To avoid confusion, generic names of
medicines may please be provided. I am a pharmacologist, having worked
on animal and human pharmacology, and presently I am the Dean of Bilcare Research Academy, where we teach courses on clinical research. We dont work on saturdays and sundays, hence questions reachng me on these days will be replied on Monday, please bear with me.
Question I am a 50 year old menopausal woman. A recent blood test showed I am deficient
in Vitamin D. My doctor prescribed a prescription of Vitamin D 1.25 MG to be
taken once per week. (50,000?) When I picked up the prescription, the
pharmacist asked if the doctor had told me how much calcium to take along with
it. He had not. She said it would be important to ask. I've called in the question
but since it usually takes a few days for a return call, I was wondering if you
might have any thoughts on the subect. I recently heard a doctor on TV say that
he thought you could almost call vitamin D deficiency an epidemic right now!
Interestingly, my sister was recently diagnosed as well. So I'm thinking there may
be others out there who would be interested in your reply as well. By the way,
prior to this diagnosis, I was taking over the counter calcium 500 plus D (Oscal). I
know that vitamin D helps in the absorption of calcium but don't know much
else. So...thanks so much for any info you might have on the calcium/vitamin D
connection!
Answer Hi Pattie,
You are on the right track with reference to the epidemic of Vit D deficiency. This is seen in regions that lack sunshine and exposure to the sun is limited. In white people excessive exposure often leads to skin cancer and hence people shun the sun. In countries like mine this is not seen at all, hence you may say my experience is very limited in so far as Vit D deficiency is concerned, however we have studied this disorder.
Vit D is essential for absorption of calcium from the gut, and depending upon your diet you may or may not need a calcium supplement.
Coming to the specific points in your question, it is difficult to say if you need extra calcium, but as a precaution I would recommend use of calcium supplement in all women above the age of 50 or post menopausal, since they are prone to osteoporosis. 500 mg of calcium (Calcium Sandoz) daily is adequate.
For your benefit I am listing foods which are rich in vit D and calcium. Very few foods in nature contain vitamin D. The flesh of fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) and fish liver oils are among the best sources, most milk in US is fortified with Vit D.
In the United States (U.S.), milk, yogurt and cheese are the major contributors of calcium in the typical diet. The inadequate intake of dairy foods may explain why some Americans are deficient in calcium since dairy foods are the major source of calcium in the diet. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid recommends that individuals two years and older eat 2-3 servings of dairy products per day. A serving is equal to:
1 cup (8 fl oz) of milk
8 oz of yogurt
1.5 oz of natural cheese (such as Cheddar)
2.0 oz of processed cheese (such as American)
