Higher Dietary Vitamin D Intake Associated with Lower Pain Incidence

by | Nov 21, 2022 | 2022, Vitamin D - General

Written by Taylor Woosley, Staff Writer. A 1-µg/day increase in dietary vitamin D intake was associated with a beneficial 5-year change in pain severity, pain frequency, and number of pain locations. 

back painChronic pain is a common and complex problem, which has a significant impact on society and individuals1. Chronic pain is defined as pain that persists past the normal time of healing (usually characterized as pain for at least 3 months)2. As the experience of chronic pain is associated with activity in multiple networks in the central nervous system (CNS), chronic pain is considered a CNS disorder3. The prevalence of chronic pain in older people (≥65 years and older) is reported to be 38.5%, where is it associated with suffering, social isolation, and disability4.

Dietary intake and lifestyle factors have the potential to influence the occurrence, maintenance, and perception of chronic pain5. Vitamin D, known for its role in calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism, is thought to be of clinical benefit in treating chronic pain6. It is involved in myogenesis, cell proliferation, differentiation, protein synthesis, and mitochondrial metabolism regulation7. Vitamin D deficiency may be involved in the etiology of chronic pain because it induces muscle impairment in terms of tissue structure and function, while also leading to elevated levels of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction8.

Carballo-Casla et al. conducted an observational cohort study to examine the association of habitual dietary vitamin D intake with pain incidence and pain changes over a 5-year follow-up in a cohort of community-dwelling older adults. Additionally, the study analyzed the association between dietary vitamin D intake and the three main components of pain: severity, frequency, and number of locations. Data used in the study is from the Seniors-ENRICA-1 study, a cohort of adults ≥60 years in Spain, with participant’s information being gathered between March 2008 and September 2010 by stratified cluster sampling and then followed-up at February-to-November 2012 and January-to-July 2017.

Data gathering consisted of data on pain, sociodemographic variables, lifestyle, and morbidity through telephone interviews. Second, a detailed, validated dietary history was obtained and trained personnel performed a physical examination to all subjects. Vitamin D intake was calculated based on diet history. Pain was assessed using a 10-question-scale based on the Survey on Chronic Pain in Europe, which focuses on three components: severity, frequency, and number of pain locations. Information on potential confounding factors (sex, age, educational level, smoking status) were obtained. An EPIC-cohort questionnaire was utilized to evaluate recreational physical activity levels.

The main analytical sample was comprised of 950 subjects. The secondary analytical sample regarding pain incidence included 524 participants. Pearson’s chi-squared tests for categorical variables and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for continuous variables was used to evaluate the differences in characteristics of study participants across the categories of dietary vitamin D intake. Associations of dietary vitamin D intake with 5-year incident pain and changes in pain scale categories were summarized with odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), obtained from logistic regression. Three incrementally adjusted models were used to control for potential confounding.

Significant findings of the study are as follows:

  • Model 3 OR (95% CI) for pain incidence was 0.88 (0.79, 0.99) for every 1-µg/day increase in dietary vitamin D intake and 0.49 (0.28, 0.88) for the highest vs. lowest tertile of intake.
  • Model 3 OR (95%CI) of pain worsening vs. no change/pain improvement and the β for the change in the pain scale scores were 0.55 (0.36, 0.86) and -0.56 (-1.03, -0.09) for the highest vs. lowest tertile of vitamin D intake, respectively.
  • A 1-µg/day increase in dietary vitamin D intake was associated with a beneficial 5-year change in pain severity [β coefficient (95% CI): -0.06 (-0.12, -0.00)], pain frequency [-0.06 (-0.12, -0.00)], and number of pain locations [-0.05 (-0.10, -0.00)].

Study results using data from the Seniors-ENRICA-1 study show that higher dietary vitamin D intake was associated with reduced pain incidence and improved pain changes over 5 years. Further research should continue to explore the potential use of vitamin D for treatment of chronic pain. Study limitations include potential recall error regarding dietary vitamin D intake, the inability to distinguish types of pain based on the questionnaires used, and the high loss to follow-up rate.

Source: Carballo-Casla, Adrián, Sonia de Paz-Cantos, Rosario Ortolá, Esther García-Esquinas, Mercedes Sotos-Prieto, José R. Banegas, and Fernando Rodríguez-Artalejo. “Dietary Vitamin D Intake, Pain Incidence, and Pain Changes in Older Adults: The Seniors-ENRICA-1 Cohort.” Nutrients 14, no. 18 (2022): 3776.

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

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Posted November 21, 2022.

Taylor Woosley studied biology at Purdue University before becoming a 2016 graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a major in Writing. She currently resides in Glen Ellyn, IL.

References:

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