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British Medical Journal logoLink to British Medical Journal
. 1977 Oct 1;2(6091):859–861. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.6091.859

Vitamin D supplements and 25-hydroxy vitamin D concentrations in the elderly.

W J MacLennan, J C Hamilton
PMCID: PMC1631689  PMID: 922328

Abstract

Serial 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD) concentrations were measured in long-stay geriatric patients treated with vitamin D. Comparison between a treatment and a control group showed that a daily dose of 500 IU vitamin D produced a significant increase in 25-OHD levels by two months. The supplement had a striking effect when the initial 25-OHD level was low and very little effect when it was high. 25-OHD levels in subjects on 2000 IU vitamin D daily were only marginally higher than those in subjects on 500 IU. A dose of 500 IU vitamin D daily should therefore produce adequate blood 25-OHD concentrations in most old people, and probably prevent most cases of osteomalacia in the elderly--though a large-scale study is needed to confirm this.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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