A new study published today reveals that an eighth of older adults in Ireland are at risk of a vitamin D deficiency, with this figure set to increase to as high as quarter of older adults during the winter months.
The research, carried out by the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), shows that as people get older the risk of deficiency increases. Twenty-two per cent of those aged 50-59 were deficient during the winter months while 37 per cent of Irish people aged 80 and over, showed deficiency during the same season.
The study examines the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency by age, economic status and lifestyle factors, as well as additionally investigating what the main causes of the issue were in the older Irish population.
The results reveal, for the first, how deficiency affects older adults in Ireland. The study is relevant to not only Ireland but for any country that experiences similar seasonal exposure to sunlight.
It is also reports that high number of cases occur amongst smokers, those who live alone, and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. In the latter category, 17 per cent of people were affected by vitamin D deficiency. The provinces of Ulster, Connacht and Munster have a higher rate of deficiency compared to Leinster as well as citizens who are less physically active.
Vitamin D is essential as it promotes bone growth, the absorption of calcium and is believed to have positive effects on muscle growth and non-skeletal health. There have been calls recently to widen the range of products on the Irish market that are fortified with vitamin D. The use of supplements in Ireland was less than 10 per cent in older adults, with it being more common amongst women than men.
“This is the largest representative study of the vitamin D status of older adults ever conducted in Ireland and is also one of largest in the world”, Dr Eamon Laird, lead author of the study and and Research Fellow at TILDA, said in a press statement. “We hope our findings will provide useful data to help inform public health policy”, he added.
In a press statement, Prof Rose Anne Kenny, Principal Investigator of TILDA, said vitamin D deficiency “may also be associated with heart disease, kidney disease, brain health and diabetes” and is needed for “normal bone health and for the prevention of …conditions such as osteoporosis”.
If the correlation between such health risks and vitamin D deficiency can be validated in further large-scale research, then the results found in this study have significant implications for the need to increase fortification and health initiatives to promote supplementation.
TILDA has been examining and collecting information on various factors such as health, economic and social circumstances of Irish citizens aged over 50 since 2006. TILDA is unique amongst research studies as its breadth of data on physical and mental health combined with extensive social and economic data makes it the most comprehensive studies of its kind both in Europe and internationally.
