Vitamin D supplements increase the risk of falls in the elderly

High-dose vitamin D supplementation does not improve lower-extremity function and increases the risk for falls among elderly adults aged 70 or up, as per a new study.

High-dose vitamin D supplementation does not improve lower-extremity function and increases the risk for falls among elderly adults aged 70 or up, as per a new study. Lower extremity function that is impaired is a major risk factor for falls, injuries and loss of autonomy. Vitamin D supplementation has been proposed as a possible preventive strategy to delay functional decline. However, definitive data is lacking. (Read: Why Indians should take calcium and vitamin D)

Co-author Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari randomised clinical trial of the study which included 200 men and women, 70 or older, who had experienced at least one low-trauma fall in the prior year. According to Dr. Bischoff-Ferrari, the editorial conclusion about not giving vitamin D at all is overstated. It is likely that many community-dwelling seniors have 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels close to the ideal range of 21 to 30 ng/mL and do not need further supplementation. However, about 50 percent of the world population is expected to be below this range and likely benefit from supplementation. (Read: Revealed - The negative side of excess Vitamin D)

The study was published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

Source: ANI

Photo source: Shutterstock

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