The following article is brought to you by the Falls Prevention Subcommittee of Safe Communities Midland

Discussion about the benefits of Vitamin D3 is on the rise. It is well-known as a crucial factor in calcium absorption (increasing it by 30 to 80 percent), so we know that vitamin D is critical to good bone health. The thinking around Vitamin D3 has changed dramatically over the past several years.1 There are now studies that are linking low levels of vitamin D with other health issues (cancers, autoimmune diseases and cardiovascular disease.)
Vitamin D is unique because our bodies can make it through exposure to sunlight. But Canada has limited sunshine during parts of the year - and even when we're in the sun, we block the harmful sun rays with hats and sunscreen. Cleary, we can't rely on the sun alone for vitamin D intake.
Foods such as margarine, eggs, chicken livers, salmon, tuna, sardines, herring, mackerel, swordfish and fish oils (Halibut and Cod liver oils) along with Vitamin D-fortified milk, yogurt and soy beverages, all contain small amounts of Vitamin D3. 2
While Canada's Food Guide provides sound nutrition advice, the amount of vitamin D in foods as recommended by the Food Guide is not enough to meet the intake necessary for people over the age of 50 to help reduce the risk of bone fractures. As we age, our bodies can’t make vitamin D as well as they once could. Therefore, for adults over the age of 50, Health Canada recommends that, in addition to following Canada's Food Guide, everyone over the age of 50 should take a daily vitamin D supplement of 400 IU. A recent study suggests that taking this regular dose of Vitamin D3 is effective in reducing falls among elderly people. The reason for this reduction in falls is that Vitamin D3 appears to improve both muscle strength and balance.3
Some organizations in Canada have made recommendations concerning increasing your vitamin D intake. Health Canada believes these recommendations are premature and that a comprehensive review that looks at both benefits and safety needs to be undertaken before any revisions to current recommendations occurs. The report is due to be released in the summer of 2010, so stay tuned for this update from Health Canada4.
In the meantime, if you have questions about Vitamin D3, contact your health care provider and/or pharmacist.

References:
1”Vitamin D: an Evidence-based Review”, Teresa Kulie, et al. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine 22(6): pgs. 698-706 (2009)
2 Eat Right Ontario - www.eatrightontario.ca and the Canada Food Guide. Osteoporosis Canada-Vitamin D: A Key Factor in Good Calcium Absorption.
3 “Is falls prevention by Vitamin D mediated by a change in postural or dynamic balance?”. H.A. Bischoff-Ferrari, et al. Osteoporosis International, Vol.17, number 5, May 2006.
4 Health Canada - http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca