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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The sunshine vitamin may have a big role to play in keeping older people on their toes.
Wake Forest University researchers find seniors who have low levels of vitamin D don't perform as well on physical tests as those who have higher levels.
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Doctors have long known vitamin D plays a vital role in maintaining healthy bones, but recent studies have also suggested the vitamin helps protect against a range of other health problems as well, including cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis and even the common cold.
These investigators compared vitamin D levels in nearly 1,000 Italians who were taking part in a larger study on mobility in the elderly. All were assessed for vitamin D levels and then also underwent standard tests aimed at measuring their physical functioning.
Even after adjusting the results to take other factors into account, people with lower vitamin D levels were found to have poorer results on the physical tests.
While the researchers can't say for sure whether a lack of vitamin D led to the poor performance -- it could be that poor performers simply got less sunlight than better performers -- they believe it stands to reason vitamin D can help seniors stay active longer.
How much vitamin D do seniors need, and where can they get it? Sunlight and food are a good source, but most people will need supplements as well. And while current recommendations call for people older than age 70 to get 600 international units of vitamin D per day, lead author Denise Houston, Ph.D. suggests more may be needed to really impact the health of seniors.
"The current recommendations are based primarily on vitamin D's effects on bone health," she was quoted as saying. "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."
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, published online April 23, 2007
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