| Feeling achy? It could be a sign that you're | | | | back pain used D vitamin supplementation for a |
| suffering from vitamin D deficiency. | | | | period of three months, which resulted in clinical |
| Long recognized as important to the prevention | | | | improvement in every case. |
| of bone diseases, D vitamin builds and protects | | | | These findings could be particularly important for |
| bone health and strength by regulating the | | | | older people, who are both generally more subject |
| amount of calcium our bones receive. Deficiency | | | | to chronic body aches and more prone to |
| of this crucial vitamin has been identified as a | | | | deficiency of vitamin D. Exposure to the sun |
| cause of severe and disabling diseases such as | | | | triggers the body to manufacture vitamin D, but |
| rickets, osteoporosis, and osteomalasia. But recent | | | | older people, particularly those who live in cold |
| research is showing that low levels of the vitamin | | | | climates, tend to have significantly less sun |
| could be behind simpler problems like body aches | | | | exposure than the general population. This |
| and muscle pains as well. | | | | problem is compounded by the fact that the |
| A recent study by the University of Minnesota's | | | | body's ability to synthesize the vitamin decreases |
| Community Health Care Center measured the D | | | | with age. |
| vitamin levels of 150 people being treated for | | | | Other factors that influence the body's ability to |
| persistent, unexplained body aches and pains. The | | | | produce the vitamin include weight and skin color; |
| results showed that 93 percent of the patients | | | | heavier people and those with darker skin have |
| had seriously low levels of the vitamin. These | | | | more difficulty producing sufficient amounts of the |
| results echo those of many other studies that | | | | vitamin. |
| have shown a direct correlation between | | | | Since there are relatively few dietary sources of |
| otherwise unexplained body aches and deficiency | | | | the vitamin, sun exposure and fortified milk are |
| of the sunshine vitamin. | | | | both important to keeping blood levels of it |
| In addition, emerging research indicates that | | | | sufficient. The current recommendations for D |
| supplementation can actually resolve many cases | | | | vitamin are 400 IU per day for both children and |
| in which patients are virtually immobilized by | | | | adults, and 600 IU per day for people over 70 |
| persistent, unexplained body pain. A Saudi Arabian | | | | years of age. |
| project involving 299 patients with chronic low | | | | |