Too little vitamin D is a common problem among elderly people that may help bring on medical conditions that cause weakness and disability.
Now a new study suggests that a shortage of vitamin D may play a direct role in poor physical performance among the elderly. Writing in The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, researchers said people with low levels of vitamin D did worse on tests involving physical skills. The researchers, led by Denise K Houston of Wake Forest University, drew on data from an Italian study in which more than 900 people 65 and older were tested for vitamin D levels and asked to perform several tasks. The researchers looked at how fast they walked, how quickly they could get out of a chair and how well they could balance.