More vitamin D benefits

It sounds odd--but the elderly can reduce their risk of taking a tumble by downing a vitamin D supplement. That's the conclusion of a 9-month Swiss study reported in the February 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Not only do elderly people taking vitamin D supplements have fewer fractures when they fall, they actually tall less often. Participants taking vitamin D--fortified with calcium were--55 percent less likely to take a fall than those taking a placebo.

Why? If has to do with the impact of vitamin D on muscles as well as on bones. The supplement group also saw a 38 percent drop in levels of the calcium-regulating hormone parathyroid, high levels of which raise the risk of fracture.

Earlier research had shown a 22 percent reduction in bone fractures among people over age 65 who take vitamin D supplements. It is important, however, to avoid mega-dosages of this vitamin because there can be toxicity issues. Talk to your doctor.

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