Higher vitamin D linked to better physical functioning in elderly

Researchers at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, U.S., established that high levels of vitamin D not only help battle cold, cancer, diabetes and heart diseases but also perk up physical activity in the aged.

Lead researcher and assistant professor, internal medicine, Wake Forest University, Denise Houston, PhD, RD, was quoted by WebMD as saying, “Those with better vitamin D levels started out better and ended up better on physical performance tests.”

2,641 people studied
To reach this conclusion, the research team conducted a study on 2,641 men and women with an average age of 75 years.

The Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study evaluated the connection of body structure, state of health, and physical activity with age.

For the study, researchers tested blood samples of all subjects and divided them into three groups.

First group had subjects with low vitamin D-level estimated to be less than 50 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L), second with medium vitamin D-level, 50 to 75 nmol/L and third having high vitamin D-level, 75 or more nmol/L in their blood.

Researchers took account of the subjects’ physical activity by calculating it through various activities.

These included 400 meters of brisk walking, as possible, standing from a chair without the use of arms, balancing tasks and other tests of lower limit strength and mobility.

The tasks were given at the beginning of the study and were repeated post-two and four years.

Study results
Analysis revealed that subjects with high levels of vitamin D performed the tasks better contrary to those with low or average vitamin D-levels.

Also, higher vitamin D-group remained steady as regards physical functioning even as the study concluded.

It was also found that subjects with adequate vitamin D-levels scored five percent higher on physical performance test.

This group also had five percent quicker walking speed in the 400 meter walking task in contrast to subjects with low or inadequate levels of vitamin D.

Erica T. Goode, MD, MPH, physician at the California Pacific Medical Center’s Health and Healing Center-Clinic, San Francisco agreed with the findings and told WebMD, “I’m sure that this is accurate.”

However, Houston stressed on further research to determine if vitamin D-levels in blood could foretell disability in elderly and also if supplements could prove helpful in deflecting mobility problems.

The findings were presented at the Experimental Biology meeting.