There’s some scary news out. It comes from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ recent meeting. Doctors presented a new study on nearly 2,000 people.

It shows that people with low levels of one vitamin are at major risk for breaking bones. And it didn’t matter how old they were.

The study was led by Dr. Brett D. Crist at the University of Missouri. He’s a lead investigator and co-director of the Orthopaedic Trauma Service.

He says the “deficiency affects patients of all ages and is more prevalent than we thought it was.”

Dr. Joseph Lane agrees. He’s chief of metabolic bone disease service at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

“We are dealing with a significant problem in our population,” he says. “Especially related to those individuals that sustain fractures.”

While grim, the study shows real hope. There’s a simple way you can cut your risk of fracture. And it’s even easier than taking calcium, which doesn’t even work by itself.

Over 1,400 People Have Low Levels

The way to strengthen your bones is to get more vitamin D. It’s been linked to weak muscles and bones in the past. But this new study shows vitamin D deficiency is widespread.

Dr. Crist reviewed the medical records of 1,830 adults who had fractures. He checked the levels of their vitamin D. And he put them into three categories – “deficient,” “insufficient,” and “healthy.”

39 percent of patients were “deficient.” Another 38.4 percent had “insufficient” levels. That means over 77 percent of people with broken bones did not have enough vitamin D in their bodies. That’s 1,416 out of 1,830 people.

Dr. Crist says that “vitamin D deficiency has been linked to increased incidence of fracture.” He’s even started treating his patients weekly with high doses of vitamin D. He says it’s “easy to manage” and it “can prevent future fractures.”

How to Get Enough “D”

Some people say it’s tough to get vitamin D. But it’s actually simple. All you need is the sun.

Get outside for 15-20 minutes each day. Stay out as long as you can without getting burned. And don’t put on sunscreen just to stay out longer. It prevents the skin from manufacturing vitamin D. And it’s been linked to skin cancer.

An adult is supposed to get 1,000 IUs daily. If you can’t get any sun, you should take a vitamin D supplement. Otherwise, it’s best to get outside and synthesize it naturally. We’ve told you before that you can generate up to 25,000 IUs of vitamin D from the sun in a day.

Fish also contains ample amounts of vitamin D. Just be sure you eat wild-caught fish. And it’s best to go with wild-caught salmon, which is free of mercury.

To your best health,

Michael Jelinek,

Managing Editor, NHD “Health Watch”