Stay Active and Agile with Vitamin D

. . . healthy blood levels of vitamin D are important to both young and old. Vitamin D is one of many nutrients needed to keep muscles, joints and bones healthy. In fact a D deficiency can be a factor in a vast array of health problems ranging from diabetes to depression, to allergies and other immune system problems, to kidney or lung disease and neurological issues, to name but a few. Therefore it's not surprising that a recent study in The Journal of Gerontology found a 30% increased risk of mobility limitation and almost double the risk for mobility disability in older adults with low vitamin D levels. This study followed 2,000 men and women aged 70-79 for 6 years. At the beginning none had difficulty walking a quarter of a mile or climbing 10 stairs. But that changed considerably for many of the 36% with vitamin D levels measured at <30 ng/ml. Vitamin D deficiency is rampant, and both old and young (including children) are suffering the consequences. Experts believe D levels should be kept above 50 ng/ml. It's very important that you get your blood levels measured with the 25(OH)D test. If you don't come out in the "high-normal" range, you should be supplementing with vitamin D until you get them up. If possible, get your testing done through LabCorp rather than Quest; it's more reliable. Our vitamin D is now available in gel caps.

Lane NE. Serum levels of vitamin D and hip osteoarthritis in elderly women: a longitudinal study. Arthritis and Rheumatism. 1997;40(suppl): S238.

Houston DK. Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D predicts the onset of mobility limitation and disability in community-dwelling older adults: The Health ABC Study. The Journals of Gerontology Series A. Published online May 9, 2012.  Accessed June 8, 2012.