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Low vitamin D linked to seniors' risk of falling
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 23 - 08 - 2006


Older men and women with
vitamin D deficiency are more likely to fall multiple times in
the course of a year than their peers with adequate vitamin D
levels, researchers in The Netherlands have found, according to Reuters.
Vitamin D may be best known for its role, along with
calcium, in maintaining bone health. However, vitamin D is also
important for muscle mass and strength, and compromised muscle
function may explain the fall risk seen in this study,
according to the researchers.
The findings suggest that older adults should be sure to
get adequate vitamin D from food and multivitamins, lead study
author Dr. Marieke B. Snijder, of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam,
told Reuters Health.
However, she added, clinical trials are needed to prove
that this actually prevents falls.
Snijder and her colleagues report their findings in the
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
For their study, the researchers measured blood levels of
vitamin D in 1,231 adults age 65 and older, then followed them
for one year to track any falls they suffered. During that
time, 33 percent fell at least once, according to "fall
calendars" that each participant kept. Just over 11 percent
fell two or more times.
Overall, men and women who were deficient in vitamin D at
the outset were 78 percent more likely than those with adequate
levels to fall at least twice. Their risk of falling three or
more times was more than doubled.
Other fall risk factors, such as exercise, smoking and
drinking habits, did not explain the link. However, at the
start of the study, participants with vitamin D deficiency did
perform more poorly on tests of physical function, including
walking and getting up and down from a chair.
According to Snijder, this suggests that a lack of vitamin
D may weaken and impair older adults' muscles.
The body produces its own vitamin D store when sunlight
triggers its synthesis in the skin. However, lack of sun
exposure, less efficient vitamin D synthesis and inadequate
dietary intake all conspire to make deficiency common among
older adults, Snijder said.
In one Dutch study, she noted, up to two-thirds of elderly
adults were at least moderately deficient in vitamin D.
Dietary sources of the vitamin are relatively few and
include fortified milk and breakfast cereals, and certain fish,
like salmon, tuna and sardines. Older adults may need a
multivitamin to get the recommended amount of vitamin D.


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