"Taking extra vitamin D and calcium doesnt seem to prevent bonethinning in older men according to Australian researchers.  However exercise did boost bone mineral density a proxy for bone strength their report shows.  Despite the findings people still need to get enough calcium and vitamin D to reduce the risk of osteoporosis or bone thinning said Dr. Mone Zaidi an osteoporosis researcher at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York who was not involved in the study.  Its like the four legs of the stool vitamin D and calcium exercise medications if a person is losing bone and the fourth leg is telling people how to prevent fractures Zaidi said.  More than  million people in the US are affected by osteoporosis. Its most common in older women but about seven percent of white men and five percent of black men are affected according to the American College of Physicians.  In the new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism Robin M. Daly from the University of Melbourne Australia and colleagues randomly assigned men aged  to  to an exercise program drinking milk fortified with calcium and vitamin D doing both or doing nothing.  They measured the mens bone density before and after the study which took place over  months but they didnt look at fractures.  At the end of the study men who exercised had higher bone density than those who had supplemented their diet with  milligrams of calcium and  international units IU of vitamin D per day.  Adding the supplements to the exercise program provided no extra benefit hinting that the men already had enough vitamin D and calcium in their diets to be able to boost their bone strength through exercise alone.  The recommended daily intake of vitamin D is  IU in adults up to age  and  IU for older people according to the National Institutes of Health NIH. A month supply of vitamin D supplements can be bought for less than  and many multivitamins contain the recommended daily dose of vitamin D.  As for calcium the NIH advises  mg per day for men ages and then  mg per day for men older than .  To build bone density weightbearing exercise is needed such as running or weightlifting according to the NIH.  In animal studies a lack of vitamin D has been linked to several diseases such as multiple sclerosis and some types of cancer. However there isnt enough data to say if vitamin D can help treat or prevent these diseases Zaidi said.  To reduce the risk of bone weakening the NIH recommends not smoking drinking less alcohol and exercising more.  Zaidi said that both vitamin D and calcium are extremely important for human health so people should follow the previous vitamin D and calcium recommendations.  Youve got to have it to build a wall he said. Adding more might not strengthen the wall but you have to take enough to keep the wall strong. Otherwise it might fall apart.  SOURCE bit.lyitDqs httpbit.lyitDqs The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism online January  . Our StandardsThe Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. httpthomsonreuters.comenaboutustrustprinciples.html"