Daily dose of vitamin D reduces risk of falls in the aged
POSTED October 3, 2009 - 17:34 | POSTED BY Neharika Sabharwal
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on October 3, 2009 - 19:59
Vitamin D deficiency among older people results in poor bone and muscle health and an increased risk of fractures.
Researchers from University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland assessed the importance of adequate levels of Vitamin D and examined the association of deficiency with risk factors of falling among the aged.
Data of eight clinical trails analyzed
The scientists analyzed data collected from eight clinical trails on 2,500 people aged 65 or more. The subjects were administered vitamin D2 and D3 supplements, at doses between 700 and 1000 IU, or between 200 and 600 IU a day to reduce their risk of falls.
The researchers observed that benefits from vitamin D on fall prevention depended on treatment dose.
They found that 700-1000 IU supplemental vitamin D per day cut the risk of falling by 19 percent while vitamin D3 could cause a 26 percent reduction.
The researchers also noted that the vitamins were extremely effective within two to five months of starting treatment, when falls showed reduction by 38 percent. The benefits of the supplements extended to well beyond a year.
A word of advise
According to the researchers, “one in three people over age 65 experience, at least one fall” a year.
A number of factors are linked to the risk of falling in the aged like cognitive impairment, poor balance, and injuries to the legs.
Though these issues are difficult to improve, the vitamin D deficiency can be easily remedied to improve safety and lessen the number of falls.
Study leader Professor Heike Bischoff-Ferrari, director of the centre on aging and mortality at the University Hospital Zurich, suggests that all individuals aged 65 and older should take at least 700IU of vitamin D daily to protect them from fall.
He added, “We found a greater fall reduction in studies with a maximum vitamin D daily dose of 1000IU a day than in studies with lower doses. Therefore higher doses may be even more effective.”
The study has been published in the online edition of the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
