Elderly residents are deficient in vitamin D, study says

Nearly all residents at a German geriatric rehabilitation hospital had insufficient levels of vitamin D, while more than two-thirds had severely deficient levels, a new study has found.

Vitamin D deficiency can contribute to higher rates of falls and fractures in the elderly due to its effects on calcium absorption and bone metabolism, said study leader Stefan Schilling, Dr. med. Physicians advise that those over the age of 70 should take in 800 international units of vitamin D per day.

The study was published in the most recent issue of the German journal Deutsches Ärzteblatt International. Click here to read the study.