Vitamin D may prevent falls

2nd October 2009 - People who are over 65 may benefit from taking high-dose vitamin D supplements.

New research claims they can cut their chance of falling over by 19 per cent if they take 700 -1000 IU (International Units) of the vitamin every day.

The study is published in the British Medical Journal online (BMJ). It found taking a lower dose didn’t work.

Who took part?

The review is based on eight studies of more than 2,400 people who took vitamin D supplements or placebos. Doses of vitamin D differed among the studies. Participants lived in nursing homes or in their own homes.

The vitamins started having an effect within two to five months of starting treatment and were still giving results a year after.

Previous studies have shown that Vitamin D does improve balance and strength among older people and a severe deficiency of vitamin D can cause weakness of muscle.

The researchers included Professor Heike Bischoff-Ferrari, director of the Centre on Ageing and Mobility at Switzerland's University Hospital Zurich. He noted that as Vitamin D affects muscle strength, and stronger muscles could mean less likelihood of falling.

Too Much?

The reviewers aren't ruling out the possibility that higher doses of vitamin D supplementation might be even more effective at preventing falls. Taking too much vitamin D can cause sickness, constipation, confusion, abnormal heart rhythm and kidney stones. The current advice from the Food Standards agency is that older people should consider taking 10 micrograms (0.01 mg) of vitamin D each day.