Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. People in the low vitamin D intake group had a 62% increased risk of having limited mobility and 122% increased risk of becoming disabled in their mobility.

Vitamin D blood levels are continually being shown to affect a diverse range of health functions, including metabolic health (1), mental health (2), and  nerve health (4). The current recommendations by the National Institute of Health classify vitamin D blood levels < 30 nanomoles/Liter as “deficiency”, 30-50 nmol/L as “inadequate”, 50-125 nmol/L as “adequate” and >125 nmol/L as “potentially toxic” (6).

Now a new study (7) suggests that vitamin D levels may also be linked to mobility in the elderly. The limitations in mobility among the elderly “strongly predicts” future disability resulting in dependency, institutionalization, greater health care costs, poor health outcomes, and death (8).

In the study, 2099 patients with an average age of 75 participating in the Health ABC Study (9) provided blood samples, completed two mobility tests (1/4-mile walk and walking up steps) and were followed up for 6 years. The patients were divided into three groups with vitamin D levels of  (< 50, 50-75, and > 75 nmol/L). The researchers found that compared to the> 75 nmol/L group, those in the< 50 nmol/L group had a 62% increased risk of having limited mobility and 122% increased risk of becoming disabled in regards to their mobility while the 50-75 nmol/L group had a 37% increased risk of having limited mobility and 40% increased risk of disabled mobility (p < 0.001).

The researchers then commented on the Institute of Medicine’s recommended> 50 nmol/L levels, stating that this study “suggests that for mobility, higher [vitamin D blood] concentrations than those suggested by the Institute of Medicine may be optimal.”

For the researchers, “Low [vitamin D blood levels] was associated with an increased risk of mobility limitation and disability in community-dwelling, initially well-functioning black and white older adults” and that “Prevention or treatment of low [vitamin D blood levels] may provide a pathway for reducing the burden of mobility disability in older adults.”

Source: Houston, Denise K., et al. “Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D predicts the onset of mobility limitation and disability in community-dwelling older adults: the Health ABC Study.” The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences (2012): gls136.

© The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.

Posted June 11, 2012. 

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com

References:

  1. Thomas GN.  Vitamin D Levels Predict All-Cause and Cardiovascular DiseaseMortality in Subjects With the Metabolic Syndrome.  Diabetes Care 2012; 35:1158–1164
  2. Serum vitamin D concentrations are related to depression in young adult US population: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. International Archives of Medicine 2010, 3:29 doi:10.1186/1755-7682-3-29
  3. Toriola AT. Independent and joint effects of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and calcium on ovarian cancer risk: A prospective nested case-control study. Eur J Cancer 2010 Jun 18. [Epub ahead of print]
  4. Eisman JA. Vitamin D Deficiency in Critically Ill Patients. New Eng Jou Med 2009; 360(18): 1912-1914
  5. Mowry et al. Vitamin D status is associated with relapse rate in pediatric-onset MS. Annals of Neurology, 2010; DOI: 10.1002/ana.21972
  6. “Vitamin D Fact Sheet” – see the Office of Dietary Supplements website.
  7. Houston DK.  Low 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Predicts the Onset of Mobility Limitation and Disability in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The Health ABC Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2012 May 9. [Epub ahead of print].
  8. Guralnik JM, Fried LP, Salive ME. Disability as a public health outcome in the aging population. Annu Rev Public Health. 1996;17: 25–46.

Health ABC Study information available at the National Institute on Aging website.