Vitamin D status and its predictors in New Zealand aged-care residents eligible for a government-funded universal vitamin D supplementation programme.
Public Health Nutr. 2016 Dec;19(18):3349-3360. Epub 2016 Jul 25.
MacDonell SO 1: sue.macdonell at otago.ac.nz, Miller JC1, Harper MJ1, Waters DL2, Houghton LA1.
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- ..."implemented nationwide in New Zealand by 2011"
- ..."recommends a loading dose of 2500 µg (100 000 IU) cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) in the first month followed by a maintenance dose of 1250 µg (50 000 IU) monthly thereafter for life"
- no Vitamin D testing - offered to all
- "Overall our study shows that the uptake of the government-funded vitamin D supplementation programme was high, with three-quarters of participants receiving monthly vitamin D supplementation, ..."
- ". In the present study, we did not collect information regarding the incidence of falls or fractures and thus cannot determine the impact of the supplementation programme on skeletal outcomes"
- "The very low cost (less than $NZ 5/person per year)..."
- Overview Seniors and Vitamin D
- Falls and Fractures category listing has
257 items along with related searches 13 reasons why many seniors need more vitamin D (both dose and level) - July 2023 has the following
- Senior skin produces 4X less Vitamin D for the same sun intensity
- Seniors have fewer vitamin D receptor genes as they age
Receptors are needed to get Vitamin D in blood actually into the cells - Many other Vitamin D genes decrease with age
- Since many gene activations are not detected by a blood test,
more Vitamin D is often needed, especially by seniors - Seniors are indoors more than when they were younger
not as agile, weaker muscles; frail, no longer enjoy hot temperatures - Seniors wear more clothing outdoors than when younger
Seniors also are told to fear skin cancer & wrinkles - Seniors often take various drugs which end up reducing vitamin D
Some reductions are not detected by a vitamin D test of the blood
statins, chemotherapy, anti-depressants, blood pressure, beta-blockers, etc - Seniors often have one or more diseases that consume vitamin D
osteoporosis, diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer, ... - Seniors generally put on weight as they age - and a heavier body requires more vitamin D
- Seniors often (40%) have fatty livers – which do not process vitamin D as well
- Reduced stomach acid means less Magnesium is available to get vitamin D into the cells
- Vitamin D is not as bioavailable in senior intestines
- Seniors with poorly functioning kidneys do not process vitamin D as well
- Glutathione (which increases Vitamin D getting to cells) decreases with age
Seniors category has431 items  Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki
OBJECTIVE:
The provision of prescribed vitamin D to all aged-care residents has been implemented in New Zealand as part of a government-led falls prevention programme. To our knowledge, there has been no evaluation of this universal programme on vitamin D status and functional and health outcomes. Thus, we aimed to determine 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations and their predictors in aged-care residents across the country and to investigate whether the government-funded programme was associated with adequate vitamin D status.DESIGN:
Cross-sectional survey of sociodemographic, biochemical, anthropometric, dietary and health characteristics. Blood samples were analysed for serum 25(OH)D and other biochemical measures. Multiple regression was used to examine predictors of vitamin D status.SETTING: Sixteen residential aged-care facilities throughout New Zealand.
SUBJECTS: Residents aged ≥60 years with residency duration >12 weeks (n 309).
RESULTS:
Mean serum 25(OH)D was 89·9 (95 % CI 85·2, 94·5) nmol/l and monthly supplements (1250 µg (50 000 IU)) were taken by 75 % of all residents. Of those not taking a funded supplement, 65·3 % had serum 25(OH)D 125 nmol/l.CONCLUSIONS:
Residents taking supplemental vitamin D had adequate vitamin D status; however monitoring of long-term supplementation should be considered, due to the high proportion of participants with high serum 25(OH)D levels.PMID: 27453540 DOI: 10.1017/S1368980016001683
50,000 IU vitamin D routinely given monthly in New Zealand senior homes since 2011– Dec 20164844 visitors, last modified 07 Apr, 2018, This page is in the following categories (# of items in each category)Attached files
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