Tuesday, August 18, 2020
There are a lot of reasons to have more vitamin D in your diet. In some cases, maybe you even need supplements if your doctor measures your level as low in the blood.
For example, the team at OrthoCincy says they’re seeing a lot of people with injuries returning to activity after this pandemic. Vitamin D plays a huge role in healthy muscles and bones.
“We want to keep people healthy and active,” said Dr. James Stefanski, an orthopedic surgeon at OrthoCincy. “As people are trying to get back to that, we’re making an effort to get back, it’s hard to get back to where you were, but a lot of people don’t want to ease into it.”
Now, there’s yet another reason to check your vitamin D: It may also help keep vertigo away, according to a study published in the journal Neurology.
Researchers said those who took supplements twice a day for a year had fewer episodes of vertigo, which causes dizziness and balance problems.
More than 90 people with vertigo were recruited for the study. They were divided into two groups. The first group, who had low vitamin D levels, were given supplements with 400 international units of vitamin D and 500 milligrams of calcium twice daily. The second group with healthier vitamin D levels were not given any supplements.
Researchers found people taking the supplements had a 24% reduction in their rate of vertigo compared with those not taking supplements. The greatest benefit was seen in those who were already deficient in vitamin D at the start of the study.
The team at OrthoCincy also reminds us that dizziness and balance problems often lead to falls. That’s another huge contributor to broken bones.