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
258 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 2016Printer Friendly Follow this page for updates5733 visitors, last modified 07 Apr, 2018, This page is in the following categories (# of items in each category)Attached files
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