Vitamin D, Aging, and COVID

By DR. LORETTA T. FRIEDMAN

Ninety percent of our current health is controlled by the environment in which we bathe our genes — the food we eat, our exercise regimen, our resilience in the face of stress, and our exposure to environmental toxins.

COVID-19 likely won’t be the last pandemic of our lifetimes. And as we get older, we don’t want the flu or pneumonia taking us down either. A strong immune system is your suit of armor against illness. Immune health is a way of life, not a quick fix — and fortunately, it’s a byproduct of living the optimal life you already want. (So here’s to your health and continued prosperity.)

As a person ages, their risk for cognitive decline increases dramatically, affecting nearly 25% of all persons 65 and older in the U.S. Recent findings suggest that low vitamin D levels in older adults are associated with an increased incidence of cognitive decline.

Simulation studies suggest that fortification of food cannot provide sufficient vitamin D to the elderly without exceeding present conventional safety levels for children. A combination of fortification and individual supplementation is proposed.

In aging adults, vitamin D deficiency is strongly linked to muscle weakness, which can manifest in different ways. In general, seniors tend to feel heaviness in their legs and have difficulty standing up and climbing stairs.

A number of factors can play a role in vitamin D deficiencies in older adults. Because they spend the majority of their time indoors, older adults get minimal exposure to natural sunlight. Scientists define vitamins as organic compounds that are vital for normal metabolic function that must be consumed because they cannot be produced in the body. Vitamin D, however, is a little bit different from other vitamins because it is produced by the body in a chemical reaction that occurs when the skin is exposed to UVB rays from sunlight.

Sunlight stimulates vitamin D production in our bodies. Diet helps, but according to the Endocrine Society, most people only get about 10% of their nutritional requirement for vitamin D from the food they eat. Even though many foods are fortified with added vitamin D, such as dairy products, orange juice, and cereals, the amounts these products contain still fall short of the recommended daily allowance (600 IU for adults ages 19–70 and 800 IU for adults over 70). A number of factors can play a role in vitamin D deficiencies in older adults. Additionally, as skin thins with age, vitamin D synthesis becomes much less efficient.

Reduced appetite and impaired absorption of nutrients further compound this problem for seniors.

Vitamin D is also necessary for aiding and regulating calcium absorption and keeps bones, muscles, and teeth in excellent condition. The combination of weakened muscles and bones caused by low vitamin D levels has been associated with an increased risk of falls and fractures, which can be very dangerous and even fatal for the elderly.

Changes in Mood and Cognitive Function

Since vitamin D converts into the active hormone calcitriol, it functions differently within the body than other true vitamins. Vitamin D is believed to help regulate immune function and the release of neurotransmitters in the brain that influence moods (dopamine and serotonin).

Studies have shown that low vitamin D levels may be associated with mental health disorders like seasonal affective disorder (SAD), schizophrenia, and depression. Seniors who feel depressed and tired all the time may actually suffer from vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency. In addition, low vitamin D levels may contribute to cognitive decline and a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Weight Gain Vitamin D appears to play an important role in regulating appetite and body weight as well. Research has shown that lower

levels of vitamin D are associated with obesity, whereas increased vitamin D levels have been associated with reductions in body fat. It’s believed that vitamin D controls the levels of leptin in the body — another hormone that inhibits hunger and reduces fat storage.

When a senior is deficient in vitamin D, these signals to the brain get disrupted, and the body doesn’t know when to stop eating. This can make people overeat and gain weight.

Fatigue

Many older adults who are tired all the time may not realize they could have a nutritional deficiency, so they ignore their symptoms. Low vitamin D levels may also cause widespread pain in areas like the shoulders, pelvis, ribcage, and lower back, which can leave a senior feeling drained.

Someone who has stiff joints and is constantly feeling fatigued might want to boost their vitamin D intake (especially if they do not go outside much or do not eat many fortified foods).

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Dr. Loretta T. Friedman is the founder of Synergy Health Associates. Previously, she was an operating room nurse, specializing in cardiothoracic, open heart, vascular, and kidney transplants. Friedman opened her chiropractic practice in 1994 and is one of two Directional Non-Force Technique® chiropractors in all of New York state. As a women’s health expert, Friedman harnesses proprietary protocols for AntiAging, Metabolic Detoxification and Lymph-Biologics™, a unique form of lymphatic drainage. With a diversity of nutritional degrees and multiple certifications, Friedman has been helping women and men with their nutritional insufficiencies for years.

After years of working with a diverse demographic of patients, Friedman discovered a technology that could deliver the necessary information for a more thorough patient diagnosis and termed this cell test the Aging Analysis. Now, she could help patients feel and look as good as they can with customized programs with diet, supplements, exercise, and lifestyle changes. For many people, one condition can affect other areas of the body and cause multiple symptoms. She can identify the source of the pain and recommend the most effective treatment. For more information, visit synergyhealthassociates.com.

Digestive Issues

Studies have shown that low vitamin D levels may contribute to the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a condition characterized by chronic inflammation in the digestive tract. IBD is split into two main types: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

To make matters worse, bowel diseases can interfere with the way the intestines absorb dietary fat. Since vitamin D is a fatsoluble vitamin, GI conditions can cause nutritional deficiencies to worsen even further.

Vitamin D is an extremely important nutrient the body needs to function properly, and insufficiencies may trigger severe health problems. The combination of symptoms caused by low vitamin D, such as fatigue, pain, and depression, can easily be misdiagnosed or written off as inevitable side effects of aging.

Be sure to make a doctor’s appointment if you notice any of the above symptoms in your loved one. A simple blood test and recommendation for lifestyle changes and/or an over-the-counter vitamin D supplement can help seniors feel better fast.

Sources: Vitamin D • Fatty fish, like tuna, mackerel, herring, and salmon

• Foods fortified with vitamin D, like some dairy products, orange juice, soy milk, and cereals

• Beef liver

• Cheese

• Egg yolks

• Also – mushrooms are the only good, natural plant source of vitamin D.