To Your Health
July, 2013 (Vol. 07, Issue 07)
Low Vitamin D? Aging Problems Can Occur
Everyone knows that one of the key vitamins to good health is vitamin D. Vitamin D can influence how well your brain and bones work. For seniors, vitamin D is critical. A new study has found that low vitamin D levels in people over 55 are associated with an inability to perform ordinary tasks of daily life.
In the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism,
Dutch researchers evaluated two groups of older people — one consisting of 725 men and women ages 55 to 65, and the other comprised of 1,237 men and women older than 65 — to see if they could walk up or down a 15-step staircase, dress and undress, stand from a sitting position, cut their toenails, walk outside unaided for five minutes, and use their own or public transportation. Then the researchers did blood tests to assess vitamin D levels.
They found that in both groups, a vitamin D level below 20 nanograms per milliliter was associated with an increased number of disabilities compared with those with a normal level (above 30). There is also other risks associated with low vitamin D for seniors - the risk of breaking bones is especially serious. A broken hip can result in eventual death for an elderly person.
Another study found that vitamin D supplements can provide "a 30% reduction in the risk of hip fracture and a 14% reduction in the risk of any nonvertebral fracture." The average amount that was found effective was 800 IU daily.
If you are an older adult, talk to your doctor of chiropractic to insure that you are getting enough vitamin D.