> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Low vitamin D and high vitamin A a risk factor for osteoporosis
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/vitamin_d_deficiency_vitamin_a_osteoporosis_1116130149/
- Published: 2013-11-16T14:47:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:21:23.000Z
- Description: Among 232 healthy postmenopausal women, those with the highest serum retinol had eight times the risk of osteoporosis, and the risk rose further when vitamin D fell below 20 ng/mL. The authors call for better vitamin D status and policies to avoid high vitamin A levels.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Vitamins, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

Saturday Nov 16, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- Postmenopausal women with vitamin d deficiency or insufficiency and high serum levels of vitamin A or retinol are at risk of developing osteoporosis, according to a study in Archives of osteoporosis. The study highlights the need for women to have sufficient intake of vitamin D, which is available as a dietary supplement. The study also suggests that too much vitamin A in the blood can be a risk factor for osteoporosis.

The finding came from a study of 232 healthy postmenopausal women who were subject to a series of tests for bone mass, serum calcium, albumin phosphorus, creatinine, total high density lipoprotein cholesterol (good cholesterol) and low density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides (blood fat), and retinol (vitamin A) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (v25(OH)D - vitamin D).

The risk of osteoporosis was found eight times higher in women with the highest serum retinol concentrations, compared with those with the lowest levels. And among postmenopausal women with the highest amount of retinol, those who had lower than 20 ng/mL of vitamin D, defined as vitamin D deficiency, the risk of osteoporosis was even higher.

The study concluded "Higher retinol levels together with vitamin D deficiency could be a significant additional risk factor for osteoporosis, underscoring the need for improved physician and public education regarding optimization of vitamin D status in postmenopausal women and developing policies to avoid high serum levels of vitamin A." (David Liu, PHD)

*J. M. Mata-Granados, J. R. Cuenca-Acevedo, M. D. Luque de Castro, M. F. Holick, J. M. Quesada-Gómez, Vitamin D insufficiency together with high serum levels of vitamin A increases the risk for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, Archives of Osteoporosis February 2013, 8:124*