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A new study reported that  older adults can prevent fractures by taking oral vitamin D supplements at a dose of at least 400 international units per day, says a new study.

Researchers at the University of Colorado, Denver, and Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, stated  that Americans face “a growing epidemic of vitamin D insufficiency,” according to their study, published  in the Archives of

Internal Medicine. By getting less sun and using more sun block, people could possibly trading a lower risk of skin cancer for a higher risk of osteoporosis and fractures, heart disease, infections and some cancers, said Adit Ginde, emergency room doctor and assistant professor of surgery at Colorado.

To get a more effective odea of the connection between fracture risk and actual vitamin D intake, the researchers pooled the results of 12 randomized controlled trials of oral vitamin D supplementation. At this dosage, vitamin D supplements reduced non-vertebral fractures by 20 percent and hip fractures by 18 percent. Doses of 400 international units per day or lower did not reduce the risk of either fracture type.

“The greater fracture reduction with a higher received dose or higher achieved 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels for both non-vertebral fractures and hip fractures suggests that higher doses of vitamin D should be explored in future research to optimize anti-fracture efficacy,” they stated.

The researchers reasoned that future research should center on higher vitamin D doses. “Also, it is possible that greater benefits may be achieved with earlier initiation of vitamin D supplementation and longer duration of use.”