Question: My 78-year-old father, who has lived with me since Mom died, was recently diagnosed with osteopenia which was described by his doctor as a mild thinning of the bones. Although not as severe as osteoporosis, this could be the first step towards it. The doctor told me to try to increase Dad’s calcium intake, but then a friend told me that her mother’s doctor had suggested more vitamin D. Dad’s doctor didn’t mention this to me and has not returned my call. Do you know where I could find good information on this?

Answer: Based on the information we have located, it appears that your friend is correct: Because Vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium, Vitamin D deficiency may well contribute to osteoporosis.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), people with Vitamin D insufficiency absorb less than 10 percent of the available calcium which, for men and women over 50, is 1,200 mg daily. This means that even if your father ingests enough calcium, he might not absorb it effectively if his Vitamin D level is low, a condition often seen in post-menopausal women and older adults. In fact, according to estimates, 30 to 40 percent of older adults with hip fractures are vitamin D insufficient, and the insufficiency rated is especially high among the elderly living in nursing homes.

According to a recent study by Tropicana, the orange juice maker, while a full 20% osteoporosis sufferers are men, only 39 percent of Americans believe that men are afflicted by this condition.

How much Vitamin D is enough? Today, most medical authorities agree that people over age 70 need triple (600 IU) the average (200 IU) each day.

How does one get an enough Vitamin D? While 10-15 minutes exposure to sunshine at least twice a week to the face, arms, hands or back is usually sufficient to provide adequate Vitamin D, according to the NIH, if you use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 8 or greater to block the sun’s UV rays in order to protect against skin cancer, you also block your body’s ability to synthesize the rays into Vitamin D. And, according to Dr. Mark Andon, director of nutrition for Tropicana, as we age and our skin thins, the ability of our bodies to make vitamin D from sunlight decreases.

So, how else can we obtain vitamin D? While food sources like fortified orange juice, cod liver oil, fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines), fortified milk, and fortified breakfast food products such as yogurt and cereal are good sources, it is often difficult to get enough vitamin D from natural food sources. For that reason, Vitamin D supplements available over the counter at pharmacies, health food stores, and supermarkets are often recommended.

A final note: NIH warns that high caffeine intake -- that is, more than 300 milligrams per day or about 18 ounces of caffeinated coffee-- may accelerate bone loss because caffeine is thought to inhibit Vitamin D receptors, thus limiting absorption of vitamin D.

Taking the NextStep: A new study released earlier this month from Creighton University in Omaha just days after we received this question indicates that high amounts of Vitamin D may well reduce the risk of several types of cancer for older women by 60 percent using 1,000 International Units (IU) daily. While more studies are needed to determine whether the results hold true for large groups of men as well as women, the results are considered significant.

For more information, check out the National Institutes of Health website at http://www.nihseniorhealth.gov or our internet readers can click here