Vitamin D Recommendations for Women
Age-Specific Vitamin D Intake
- The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends a daily vitamin D intake of 600 IU for women 19-70 years and 800 IU for women over 71 years, with a target serum vitamin D level of at least 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L) for optimal bone health 1, 2, 3, 4
- Women 19-50 years should take 600 IU of vitamin D daily, as recommended by the American Academy of Family Physicians 1, 2, 3, 4
- Women 51-70 years should take 600 IU of vitamin D daily, as recommended by the American Academy of Family Physicians 1, 2, 3, 4
- Women 71 years and older should take 800 IU of vitamin D daily, as recommended by the American Academy of Family Physicians 1, 2, 3, 4
Calcium Intake Recommendations
- The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends adequate calcium intake when supplementing with vitamin D, with 1000 mg calcium daily for women 19-50 years 1, 2, 3, 4
- The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends adequate calcium intake when supplementing with vitamin D, with 1200 mg calcium daily for women 51 years and older 1, 2, 3, 4
Benefits of Vitamin D Supplementation
- Vitamin D supplementation has shown benefits for reducing falls in older women, with doses of 700-1000 IU/day, as reported in Autoimmunity Reviews 5
- Women receiving aromatase inhibitors for breast cancer may require higher vitamin D doses, as standard dosing may be inadequate, according to the Journal of Clinical Oncology 6
- Serum 25-OH vitamin D levels should be checked before starting aromatase inhibitors or when DXA shows osteopenia/osteoporosis, as recommended by the Journal of Clinical Oncology 6