Vitamin A May Increase Risk of Hip Fractures

The Missing Links

First, the studies: Researchers in Sweden took a long-term look at hip fracture occurrence in men starting between the ages of 49 and 51 and followed up for 30 years.They determined that those men who had the highest levels of vitamin A were at a greater risk of hip fracture. A second study that came out about eight months later here in the U.S.looked at women 50-74 years old. They found that both too much AND too little vitamin A increases the rate of fracture.

It sounds ominous, but there are a few important factors missing in both these investigations. First, depending on where you live, your diet, and how you supplement with vitamins and minerals, your intake of vitamin A may not be the problem — it could be your imbalance between vitamins A and D. There’s a complex relationship between vitamin A and vitamin D that neither study considered. Neither of these vitamins is produced by your body — so you have to consume them or acquire them through other sources.

While it is relatively easy to get enough vitamin A throughyour diet (it’s found in animal protein, and beta carotene from fruits and vegetables converts into it in the body), this may not be the case for vitamin D: The best and primary source of vitamin D is sunlight.

Dr. Wright has frequently warned readers about a number of factors that might be affecting their vitamin D levels,including the overuse of sun block in recent years; the fact that as people get older they often aren’t getting enough exposure to sunlight; and that food sources consumed by adults are low in vitamin D. These are all critical factors inthe equation that neither of these studies, nor many physicians, take into consideration.

Another player in bone health is your thyroid hormone –which is also a missing link in these studies. Hypo- and hyperthyroidism play significant roles in osteoporosis, and imbalances between vitamins A and D can affect thyroid hormone and contribute to these conditions.

Rather than taking these studies at face value and simply cutting back on your vitamin A intake, you might want to visit with a nutritionally oriented physician and assess where you stand with the many factors that converge to make up your bone health. You can contact the American College of Medicine for a list of such physicians in your area (800-532-3688, 949-583-7666, www.acam.org).

What is…sucralose?

As Dr. Wright mentions above, sucralose is the generic name for the artificial sweetener Splenda. It is made in a laboratory by selectively substituting three hydrogen-oxygen groups on the sucrose (sugar) molecule with three atoms of chlorine. This is why manufacturers can claim that sucralose is a derivative of sugar and make it sound safer than other sweeteners.

But sucralose is a chlorocarbon, and chlorocarbons have long been suspected of causing organ, genetic, and reproductive damage. Thus it is important to stress that if you experience kidney pain, cramping, or an irritated bladder after using sucralose you should stop using it immediately and pay your doctor a visit.

Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing

Sources:

Opotowsky AR, Bilezikian JP. “Serum vitamin A concentration and the risk of hip fracture among women 50 to 74 years old in the United States: a prospective analysis of the NHANES I follow-up study.” Am J Med 2004; 117(3): 169-174

Michaelsson K, Lithell H, Vessby B, Melhus H. “Serum retinol levels and the risk of fracture.” N Engl J Med 2003; 348(4): 287-294.

“12 Questions You Need To Have Answered Before You EatSplenda,” Dr. Joseph Mercola’s website (www.mercola.com), 1/10/04

“Food Additives Permitted for Direct Addition to Food for Human Consumption; Sucralose: 21 CFR Part 172 [Docket No. 87F0086],” FDA Federal Register 1998; 63(64): 16,417-16,433