A report today from the influential Institute of Medicine sets the first formal recommendations for daily intakes of calcium and vitamin D for bone health, and suggests that most people are getting what they need.
The recommended amounts are higher than guidelines set 13 years ago that were simply estimates, but the vitamin D recommendations immediately drew criticism from some experts who said they are still far too low.
According to the report, children and adults younger than 71 need no more than 600 international units (IUs) of vitamin D a day and should consume 700 to 1,300 milligrams of calcium a day, depending on their age.
The committee was surprised to see that most Americans are meeting their needs for both of the nutrients, except for adolescent girls who may not be getting enough calcium and some elderly people who don't get enough of either, says Catharine Ross, professor of nutrition at Pennsylvania State University and chairwoman of the panel that prepared the report. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is set up by Congress to advise on a variety of health issues.
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