Vitamin D improved bones in developing babies, strengthened muscle and bones in girls, and improved muscle control in older women, several new studies reveal.
Doctors in a vitamin D study used a new high-resolution 3-D camera to view babies’ bones in the womb. Researchers wanted to look for early signs of rickets, the abnormal widening and weakening at the end of long bones due to poor nutrition. Doctors explained that babies depend on maternal stores of vitamin D to form healthy bone.
Researchers analyzed the diet and lifestyle of 424 women, aged 20 to 34, before and during pregnancy, and then measured bone length and width in their babies. In babies whose moms had low vitamin D levels, abnormally wide bones appeared at 19 weeks and were still present at 34 weeks. As mothers’ vitamin D levels rose, babies’ bones developed more normally.
In a study of young girls, researchers said that adolescents form one-quarter of their adult bone mass between the ages of 12 and 15, and believe that having enough vitamin D during adolescence helps ensure higher bone mass in adulthood. Doctors measured vitamin D levels in 301 girls and found that those with good vitamin D levels had higher bone mineral content and stronger handgrip than girls with low levels.
In a muscle control study, researchers measured vitamin D levels and walking speed in 739 women, aged at least 80. Nine in 10 women were low in vitamin D. The women first walked at a normal pace, then at a fast pace. When scientists compared walking speed to vitamin D levels, they found that those with the highest levels of vitamin D walked fastest, signaling greater muscle control.