Vitamin D A Key To Preventing Falls And Broken Bones In Older Adults
Adequate intake of Vitamin D in our diets or through sunlight could prevent people from suffering from osteomalacia, the adult counterpart of rickets in their later years. Evidence from a study by T.S Dharmarajan MD, Chief, Division of Geriatrics and Director, Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program at Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center, Bronx, New York and Professor of Medicine, New York Medical College suggests that osteomalacia is most commonly associated with severe vitamin D deficiency in the elderly.
(PRWEB) January 23, 2005 -- “Osteomalcia is a metabolic bone disease
characterized by impaired mineralization of newly formed bone matrix,” explains
Dr. Dharmarajan. “This condition is probably far more common in older adults
than realized, and may explain why so many of the older population are easily
prone to falls and complications such as fractures in their later
years.”
Statistics have shown that falls contribute up to 40% of all
nursing home admissions among the elderly. However these statistics could be
favourably improved if the elderly were given supplemental Vitamin D.
As
we get older, the ability of our skin to convert Vitamin D to its active form is
impaired, Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption to take place from the
small intestines; in the absence of Vitamin D, older Americans hence also become
calcium deficient. Approximately one – third of people over 65 years of age and
up to an estimated half of people over 80 years are injured from falling every
year. However recent data suggests that the elderly who receive Vitamin D
supplementation in their diets are likely to experience fewer falls, through
improvement of the gait or muscle strength.
Vitamin D is essential for
maintaining a normal blood concentration of calcium and the mineralization of
bone. “The activated form of Vitamin D promotes health and strength of muscles,
which in turn improves gait and reduces falls,” says Dr.
Dharmarajan.
“With osteomalcia, the lack of mineralization cause bones to
become weaker,” explains Dr. Dharmarajan. “In the absence of calcium and
mineralization, Vitamin D deficiency causes the bones to become rubbery and pain
is experienced in the muscle and bone; patients wrongly refer to this as
“arthritis”. With weakness of pelvic and thigh muscles, adults can have
difficulty in getting up from a chair or maintaining their gait and
balance.”
The softening of bones, known as osteomalacia can be treated or
better still prevented with Vitamin D. “ There are very few natural sources of
Vitamin D,” says Dr. Dharmarajan. “There are two main ways to receive this
important Vitamin; through UVB rays in sunlight penetrating the skin and through
some food types such as fatty fish, fish oils and liver. As natural sources are
scarce Vitamin D is mainly available through fortified produce such as the dairy
products; milk, yogurt, as well as orange juice are sources only when fortified
with Vitamin D.”
“Most of the Vitamin D we acquire is through sunlight
exposure rather than dietary intake. It is important to note that during the
winter, people spend less time outdoors and wear more layers of clothing to keep
themselves warm. This unfortunately reduces the amount of UV radiation they
would normally receive resulting in lower Vitamin D synthesis in the skin,” says
Dr. Dharmarajan. “As people gradually get older, they are more likely to stay
indoors for longer periods of time. Allowing adequate skin to be exposed to
sunlight for 5-10 minutes two or three times a week is generally sufficient to
meet Vitamin D requirements.” Vitamin D intake should be combined with adequate
calcium intake for healthy bones.
Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center is a
University Hospital of New York Medical College and a member of Our Lady of
Mercy Healthcare System and the Catholic Health Care Network.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/1/prweb200350.htm