Could Vitamin D Reduce Respiratory Infections in Older Adults?

According to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado, higher dosages of vitamin D supplements decreased the risk for acute respiratory infections in older adults, but increased the risk for falls.

The study was a 12-month double-blind, randomized controlled trial and included 107 long-term care residents, 60 years and over, living in long-term care facilities in Colorado. Participants were selected to take either the standard dose, 400-1,000 IU/d, or the high dose, 3000-400 IU/d. Researchers recorded the number of acute respiratory infections, falls, fractures, 25-hydroxyviatmin D levels, hypercalcemia, and kidney stones.
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Researchers found that the number of incidences of acute respiratory infections were lower for the high dose group (0.67 per person-year) than the standard dose group (1.11 per person-year). There were 24 participants in the standard dose who were diagnosed at least once with an acute respiratory infection, and 17 in the high-dose group.

In addition, researchers found that falls were more common in the high-dose group, with at least one fall recorded for 20 participants in the high dose group, and at least one fall recorded for 15 participants in the standard dose group. There was no difference between the time-to-first fall in the two groups, indicating that participants with multiple records of falling were mostly likely driving the fall incidence rates. Factures were low and there was no distinct difference between the high-dose and standard-dose groups.

The average 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels for the high-dose group was 32 ng/mL, the average levels in the standard-dose group was 25.1 ng/mL, and no hypercalcemia or kidney stones were recorded for either groups.

Overall, the rate for acute respiratory infections decreased by 40% in the high-dose vitamin D group within the 12-month trial. Researchers did not find any differences in hypercalcemia, hypervitaminosis D, kidney stones, hospitalizations, death, or fractures between the 2 groups. However, falls were more common in the high-dose group and in patients who had multiple falls.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Ginde AA, Blatchford P, Breese, et al. High-dose monthly vitamin D prevention of acute respiratory infection in older long-term care residents: a randomized clinical trial [published online November 16, 2016]. Journal of American Geriatrics Society. doi:10.1111/jgs.14679.