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Study under review: Monthly High-Dose Vitamin D Treatment for the Prevention of Functional Decline: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Introduction
Vitamin D supplementation has been proposed[1] as a possible preventive strategy for delaying functional decline associated with aging. Mechanistically, there are several reasons why maintaining sufficient vitamin D status (assessed as serum 25(OH)D, or calcifediol, concentrations, which is the second-to-last form of vitamin D before it is activated in the kidneys to form 1,25(OH)2D) would be beneficial to physical functioning. These include the presence[2] of vitamin D receptors in muscle tissue, the fact that muscle weakness is a clinical sign[3] of vitamin D deficiency, and research demonstrating that vitamin D receptor activation in muscle promotes[4] protein synthesis preferentially in type-II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers relevant to the prevention of falls.
Definitive data are lacking on the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation and dose requirements related to the improvement of lower extremity function. The current study put the mechanistic evidence to the test by investigating the effect of high monthly doses of vitamin D on the functional capacity of elderly individuals with a history of prior falling.
There are mechanistic reasons to think that vitamin D supplementation may help with day-to-day function in elderly people, including fall prevention. However, strong data don’t exist regarding its efficacy. The purpose of this study was to test whether high monthly doses of vitamin D could help improve leg function and prevent falls in the elderly.
Who and what was studied?
What were the findings?
What does the study really tell us?
The big picture
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I know?
Other Articles in Issue #16 (February 2016)
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Dieting, with a side of extra protein
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Promoting ‘high quality’ weight loss: protein and weights
By Stuart Phillips, PhD
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Vitamin E bioavailability isn’t always the same
The vast majority of people don’t meet the recommended intake level for vitamin E. And it turns out that certain people may not absorb vitamin E as well as others, and they might actually be the ones who need it most.
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Spice up your satiety?
The active ingredient in spicy food, capsaicin, seems to have some effect on satiety. But researchers weren’t quite sure what it was or how it happens, until this highly controlled experiment was done
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Little bugs for big depression
Your gut and your brain communicate much more often than you’d think. In fact, all the time. Hence the potential for consuming gut inhabitants (aka probiotics) and impacting brain-related maladies
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Fish oil incorporation: where do other fats fit in?
When you buy and take a fish oil supplement, the story doesn’t end there. It still needs to be incorporated into cell membranes. This study looked at how other fats may impact that process
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The Tyranny of the Outlier: Focusing on the best of the best sometimes diminishes the rest of us
By Lou Schuler
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A vitamin D-efense against multiple sclerosis
MS involves a complex interplay between the nervous and immune systems (and potentially others as well). This is the first trial looking at the safety and immune impact of vitamin D supplementation for MS patients.
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The newest index on the block… the hydration index!
Hydration has become more of a marketing term than a scientifically accurate one. These researchers created an index to specifically measure the hydration impact of different beverages, from milk to coffee to beer
