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2007-8-31 18:33:13 |
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Older men and women would have a high risk of muscle weakness and poor physical performance if they did not get enough vitamin D either through their diets or exposure to the sun, according to a new study published in the April 2007 issue of Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences. The association between vitamin D and physical performance indicates that older men and women may improve their physical performance by increasing serum vitamin D levels as many as one in four older adults do not have sufficient vitamin D. In the study of 976 adults aged 65 or older, 29 percent of women and 14 percent of men had vitamin D deficiency as determined by their blood levels of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D, a commonly used measure to indicate a person's vitamin D status. 75 percent of women and 51 percent of men were found to have insufficient vitamin D. Researchers measured the participants' physical performance and handgrip strength, a predictor of future disability and then did an analysis to see if there is any association between vitamin D status and physical performance. Physical performance and grip strength were 5 to 10 percent lower in those who had low blood levels of vitamin D, compared with those with normal levels, Dr. Denise K. Houston of the Wake Forest University of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and colleagues found. The link held up even after other potential factors such as a person's weight, physical activity level, the season of the year, mental abilities, and overall health condition were considered. Vitamin D is well known for its effect on bone health. The current recommended daily allowance is based on the needs to maintain healthy bones. But the vitamin is also found to have a protective effect against diabetes, cancer, colds, and tuberculosis. The current adequate intake level for adults aged 70 or younger is 400 international units or 10 micrograms per day and 600 IU or 15 mcg per day for adults aged 71 or older. Evidence found in early studies suggests that the adequate intake of vitamin D is too low and it should be raised to 2000 IU per day. The dietary sources for vitamin D include oily fish such as salmon, sardines and Mackerel and eggs, but the cheap and safest resource for the vitamin is the sunshine. Some experts believe that exposure of the face and two hands to sunshine for 15 to 20 minutes will get a person enough vitamin D. Dr. Houston was quoted by Reuters Health as contending that "higher amounts of vitamin D may be needed for the preservation of muscle strength and physical function as well as other conditions such as cancer prevention." |
