After two separate general blood workups failed to reveal a problem, an 80 year old gentleman suffering from weakness and fatigue came to see me. I suggested he take a vitamin D 25 Hydroxy test, which revealed -- as I suspected it would -- a major vitamin D deficiency.  Upon my recommendation, the patient had his doctor prescribe 50,000 IU of D for eight weeks. (A doctor’s prescription is necessary for a dosage that high). A retest of the man’s blood after that period showed that his vitamin D levels had come back up to 54ng/ml, which is well into the normal range. But most significantly, during this relatively short period of time he experienced a major improvement in both his physical and mental well-being.

Exciting new research is indeed showing a significant relationship between low vitamin D in older adults and others suffering from poor physical performance and disability.  In a fascinating case reported by doctors at the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, State University of New York at Buffalo, five wheelchair-bound patients with severe myopathy (muscle weakness) were tested and treated for vitamin D deficiency. Within six weeks of treatment with D, four of the patients became fully mobile and the fifth showed significant improvement. The report concluded with the observation that “myopathy, due to chronic vitamin D deficiency, probably contributes to immobility and ill health in a significant number of patients in the northern United States” and that an “awareness of this condition may significantly improve mobility and quality of life in patient populations vulnerable to vitamin D deficiency.”

Watch the upcoming NutriNews columns for exciting breakthroughs regarding the role of D in cancer prevention and improving prognosis in cancer patients.