BetterYou has welcomed new research highlighting the need for the older generation to supplement the sunshine vitamin. A study published in European Journal of Heart Failure1 reported that the risk of heart failure was more than 12 times higher in elderly vitamin D deficient participants than those with an adequate level.
These results support findings from a previous study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which found an association between vitamin D supplementation and reducing the risk of heart failure2.
This research presents more evidence in the importance of having optimal vitamin D levels, with the researchers expressing the need for supplementation. Public Health England advised in an announcement in 2016 that everyone should take a vitamin D supplement in autumn and winter to support healthy bones and muscles3. More specifically, the government suggests that ‘at risk’ groups, which include the elderly, should take a vitamin D supplement all year round. It’s estimated that 10 million people in the UK and one in eight over-50’s in Ireland suffer from low vitamin D levels.
Deficiency can be corrected by using a simple daily vitamin D oral spray that bypasses the digestive system and guarantees absorption. Multiple trials have found that oral vitamin sprays elevate serum vitamin D levels on average 2.5 times more effectively than traditional tablets and capsules4. A pilot study5 by BetterYou and City Assays (part of Sandwell and Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust) demonstrated how a high dose oral spray of vitamin D can increase vitamin D levels and resolve insufficiency/deficiency (below 50 nmol/L or 20ng/ml) to an optimal level (100-150nmol/L or 40-60ng/ml).
References
- 1. Porto, C. M., Silva, V. D. L., da Luz, J. S. B., Filho, B. M., and da Silveira, V. M. (2017) Association between vitamin D deficiency and heart failure risk in the elderly. ESC Heart Failure, doi: 10.1002/ehf2.12198. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ehf2.12198/full
- 2. Cardiovascular disease and vitamin D supplementation: trial analysis, systematic review, and meta-analysis. July 23, 2014, doi: 10.3945/ajcn.113.082602 http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2014/07/23/ajcn.113.082602.abstract
- 3. SACN vitamin D and health report. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-vitamin-d-and-health-report
4. A trial by the Swiss research facility Pharmabase found that, over a twelve-week clinical study, the uptake of vitamin D was 67% faster using an oral spray than using traditional tablets of the same strength. The absorption increased to 127% greater if the individual had insufficient levels to begin with. The National University of Athens looked at a similar comparison over only four weeks and found the oral spray to achieve a 52% greater absorption.
5. Pilot trial – 24 participants, tested (results below 50n/mol) and retested 10 weeks later (using NHS home test kit) throughout 2016.
