Vitamin D deficiency is associated with functional decline and falls in frail elderly women despite supplementation.
Osteoporos Int. 2016 Dec 15. [Epub ahead of print]
Kotlarczyk MP1, Perera S2,3, Ferchak MA2, Nace DA2, Resnick NM2, Greenspan SL2,4.
1Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 1110 Kaufmann Medical Building, 3471 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA. mpk38@pitt.edu.
2Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 1110 Kaufmann Medical Building, 3471 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
3Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
4Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Vitamin D prevents falls – majority of meta-analyses conclude – meta-meta analysis Feb 2015
- Yet again, 800 IU of vitamin D was found to be barely enough to help bones – Lancet Oct 2013
- Falls not prevented by vitamin D given every 3 months or less often – meta-analysis Jan 2015
- Elderly falls reduced 3.6 times by 900 IU of vitamin D and simple exercise – RCT Nov 2016
- 2X fewer Senior falls in group getting 100,000 IU vitamin D monthly via Meals-on-Wheels – RCT Aug 2015
- which is about 3,000 IU daily
- Rate of injuries from falls cut in half by just 800 IU of vitamin D and exercise – RCT May 2015
- 800 IU is enough provided the person also has some exercise
- 39% fewer falls with 2000 IU than 800 IU – RCT June 2010
Falls and Fractures category contains the following summary
258 items in FALLS and FRACTURES - Vitamin D and Calcium cost-effectively reduce falls and fractures – April 2019
- see also Overview Seniors and Vitamin D
Falls
- Fall prevention - Vitamin D is one of the ways - umbrella review Jan 2024
- Deaths due to falls doubled in just a decade (age-adjusted, perhaps decreased vitamin D) – June 2019
- Preventing Falls in Older Adults – Vitamin D combination is the best - JAMA Meta-analysis Nov 2017
- Falls cut in half by 100,000 IU vitamin D monthly - RCT 2016
- Falls reduced by a third if achieved 40 ng level vitamin D– RCT Sept 2018
- Note: It took 6 months to get to that level. Most trials last only 3 months
- Vitamin D prevents falls – majority of meta-analyses conclude – meta-meta analysis Feb 2015
- Falls reduced by Vitamin D: 13 percent reduction if more than 700 IU – review of 38 trials – Aug 2022
Fracture
- Hip fractures are predicted by 10 factors – low Vitamin D is the biggest – Aug 2023
- Vitamin D and fractures – 24 meta-analyses and counting – Dec 2014
- Low trauma bone fractures in seniors – considering Vitamin D loading dose for all, without testing – Nov 2019
- Vitamin K (any amount and any kind) reduced bone fractures by 24 percent – meta-analysis – May 2019
- 75+ Hip fracture items in VitaminDWiki title Click here for details
We examined the impact of daily supplementation on vitamin D deficiency, function, and falls in female long-term care residents. Initial vitamin D deficiency was associated with greater functional decline and increased fall risk despite guideline-recommended supplementation, highlighting the importance of preventing vitamin D deficiency in frail elderly.
INTRODUCTION:
Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines recommend 800 IU vitamin D daily for older adults and maintaining serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25(OH) D above 20 ng/ml for optimal skeletal health. The adequacy of IOM guidelines for sustaining function and reducing falls in frail elderly is unknown.METHODS:
Female long-term care residents aged =65 enrolled in an osteoporosis clinical trial were included in this analysis (n = 137). Participants were classified based on baseline 25(OH) D levels as deficient (<20 ng/ml, n = 26), insufficient (20-30 ng/ml, n = 40), or sufficient (>30 ng/ml, n = 71). Deficient women were provided initial vitamin D repletion (50,000 IU D3 weekly for 8 weeks). All were supplemented with 800 IU vitamin D3 daily for 24 months. Annual functional assessments included Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), Instrumental ADL (IADL), physical performance test (PPT), gait speed, cognition (SPMSQ), and mental health (PHQ-9). We used linear mixed models for analysis of functional measures and logistic regression for falls.RESULTS:
Daily supplementation maintained 25(OH) D levels above 20 ng/ml in 95% of participants. All groups demonstrated functional decline. Women initially deficient had a greater decline in physical function at 12 (IADL -2.0 ± 0.4, PPT -3.1 ± 0.7, both p < 0.01) and 24 months (IADL -2.5 ± 0.6, ADL -2.5 ± 0.6, both p < 0.01), a larger increase in cognitive deficits at 12 months (1.7 ± 0.4: p = 0.01) and more fallers (88.5%, p = 0.04) compared to those sufficient at baseline, despite supplementation to sufficient levels.CONCLUSIONS:
IOM guidelines may not be adequate for frail elderly. Further study of optimal 25(OH) D levels for maintaining function and preventing falls is needed.PMID: 27975302 DOI: 10.1007/s00198-016-3877-z
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