If the standard supplementation of 400 IUs of vitamin D is increased to 800 IUs daily there are reductions in the number of premature and preterm babies with extremely low bone density, new research has found.
It is a common misperception that vitamin D and calcium are the only micronutrients needed for healthy bones. As a result, whenever low bone density or fractures are diagnosed, most people do not realize that other nutrients also play essential roles in healing.
In both babies and adults alike, the framework of the bone on which calcium and other minerals are deposited is made of a protein – collagen. Without healthy collagen, bone cannot form or function properly. Healthy bone formation therefore depends not only on sufficient amounts of calcium and vitamin D, but more importantly on a proper supply of vitamin C, the amino acids lysine and proline, and other collagen-supporting micronutrients. Since the human body cannot produce vitamin C or lysine internally, deficiencies are far more likely than is commonly realized.