The report of the conference recognized that adequate calcium and vitamin intakes play a vital role in achieving and maintaining peak bone mass, a critical factor in preventing osteoporosis. The upper end of the NIH recommendation for adults is somewhat higher than the most recent calcium recommendations of the Food and Nutrition Board, published in 1997.
Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue.
These events lead to bone fragility and increased risk of fracture, especially of the hip, spine and wrist. More than 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and 18 million have low bone mass. The task of the consensus panel, made up of members outside of NIH, was to identify factors involved in building and maintaining skeletal health throughout life, comment on the optimal evaluation and treatment of osteoporosis, determine whether risk factors vary among different segments of the population, and identify directions for future research. The report of the consensus panel recognized that clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of calcium supplements in increasing spine bone mineral density, and that both calcium and vitamin D supplements reduce fractures in the elderly. The reports also points out that the effect of various drug therapies for the treatment of osteoporosis was achieved in the presence of calcium and vitamin D supplements.