Study shows vitamin D deficiency could increase older people's risk of losing muscle strength by as much as 78%

Medical Xpress / FAPESP / Calcified Tissue International ^ | Dec. 13, 2022 | Maria Fernanda Ziegler / Maicon Luís Bicigo Delinocente et al

[ConservativeMind]

Vitamin D plays an important role in the regulation of calcium and phosphorus absorption by an organism. It also helps keep the brain and immune system working. Researchers have now shown that vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of dynapenia in older people by 78%.

Dynapenia is an age-associated loss of muscle strength.

"Vitamin D is known to participate in various functions of the organism. It’s a hormone and roles include helping to repair muscles and releasing calcium for muscle contraction kinetics," said Tiago da Silva Alexandre.

Bone and muscle tissue are interconnected not just mechanically and physically, but also biochemically. "Endocrine disorders such as vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency can lead to loss of bone mineral density as well as a reduction in muscle mass, strength and function," he said.

The main conclusion was that individuals with vitamin D deficiency, defined as less than 30 nanomoles per liter in the blood, had a 70% higher risk of developing dynapenia by the end of the four-year study period than those with normal levels of vitamin D, defined as more than 50 nmol/L.

"This is an important finding as it shows that vitamin D deficiency heightens the risk of muscle weakness by 70%. However, because we knew there are many worldwide cases of people with osteoporosis who take vitamin supplements, we needed to measure the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation," said Maicon Luís Bicigo Delinocente.

When individuals with osteoporosis and those taking vitamin D were excluded from the analysis, he explained, "we found that the risk of developing muscle weakness by the end of the four-year period was 78% higher for subjects with vitamin D deficiency at the start of the study than for subjects with normal vitamin D levels, and 77% higher for those with vitamin D insufficiency [30-50 nmol/L]."

[goodnesswins]

Yes...but I think most elderly won’t take it unless a “doctor” prescribes it.

[goodnesswins]

And...they should be tested...sheesh...most are indoors 24 hrs a day...course so are lots of office workers...but I digress

[dennisw]

I will raise you to 10000 iu D3 daily. This man says 30000
https://www.amazon.com/Optimal-Dose-Restore-Health-Vitamin/dp/1732655006

[Inspectorette]

I’m 78, doubled up on Vitamin D after two bouts with Covid. After a year and a half, so far, so good. No flu, no more Covid.

[dennisw]

The urban Chinese are too indoorsy so do not get D3 from sunlight. If you have a brown tan there, then you are a lowly rice farmer and agricultural worker and peasant. But the agri workers there are probably getting enough sunlight D3 to combat Covid and other viruses

If the Han Chinese are so smart and hi IQ, how come they are not taking D3?

[dennisw]

I’m 78, doubled up on Vitamin D after two bouts with Covid. After a year and a half, so far, so good. No flu, no more Covid.

My motto is "Take D3 and see" ...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgMbrCVBIigm/watch?v=pgMbrCVBIig

[dennisw]

Love an like your health reports.. Just saying. I have gotten many useful informations from them

[dennisw]

5000 IU once a day. Is this enough?

Probably.. Though, I like double that. D3 over loads are not toxic.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Thanks! Good information!

[Delta 21]

Dont drink milk. Its got fat and calories and tastes great. It spikes your blood sugar and OH what about the lactose intolerant?!

And by the way you are sorely deficient in Vitamin D and its killing you.

[catnipman]

the amount is fine, but “tablets”?

i think the best form of supplemental Vitamin D3 is derived from fish liver in the form of softgels, where the Vitamin D is dissolved in a carrier vegetable oil ...

example:

https://smile.amazon.com/BlueBonnet-Nutrition-Softgels-Skeletal-Cholecalciferol/dp/B00FXMNWA0

[catnipman]

“My mother in assisted living was prescribed exactly that. I used to think it was dumb how much more expensive the Rx form was although visually identical to the common OTC”

usually, prescription vitamin D is the D2 form (which skips the body’s conversion of D3 to D2) and/or much higher doses than 5,000 units ... look at the prescription bottle more closely the next time you get a chance ...

btw, sometimes prescription D is the D1 form, but that can be toxic if the dose is too high, because D1 is THE active form and, unlike D3 or D2, has bypassed the parathyroid control that regulates conversion of D3 and D2 to the active D1 form ...

[TTFX]

It’s stupid to take D2.

[EnquiringMind]

I was taking 50,000 a week during Covid and my blood test for Vitamin D was 112%. Your post explains why my dr called and said,”Stop Immediately!” Three months after stopping the supplements and walking in the sun I was down to 73%. Now I take 5000 every other day.

[ConservativeMind]

The amount we need to take is best arrived at by a blood test. I take a 5,000 IU vitamin D gelcap every other day, and with my multivitamin I am getting 3,100 IU a day. This makes my vitamin D blood test come back at 34 ng/mL, which is 85 nmols/L.

In the US, we primarily use “ng/mL.” while most countries use “nmols/L.” The conversion factor is 2.5X ng/mL = nmols/L.

It is important to get these straight. Why?

56ng/mL = 42% higher risk of death:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22573406/

46 ng/mL = 24% increase in cancer deaths:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35026158/

36+ ng/mL = 13% increase in heart attack and total death rate:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23533239

4,000+ IUs a day decreases bone density by at least 3.8% in women (blood at 53+ ng/mL):

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2748796
https://asbmr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jbmr.4152

People double the times they fall at higher rates of vitamin D intake:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2478897

So, we need to make sure we and our doctors are properly noting the actual measurement units from our blood tests and not seek huge amounts of vitamin D, if we don't need them.

There are problems with too much vitamin D.

A handy vitamin D unit conversion calculator:

http://www.endmemo.com/medical/unitconvert/Vitamin__D.php

[goodnesswins]

Maybe what they eat???

[goodnesswins]

4000iu’s a day decreases bone density....are they including vit K levels in that study? BTW...probably 80% of studies are junk according to doc who did research on “studies”...(will try to find link)..

Oh, and I hated milk as a kid...and have strong bones...and I am an older woman

[goodnesswins]

You are taking vit K, too...I hope

[ConservativeMind]

You are free to do what you want, but in my mind, finding an optimal point for benefit versus risk seems prudent, and I do believe guidance from studies is useful in that endeavor.

Even doctors are going from studies that directed their training, but they can’t possibly stay up on everything.

[goodnesswins]

I get tested, usually annually...