There was a program on the BBc the other day that said some arthritis and rheumatism pain is 'possibly' linked to Vitamin D deficiency. If you live a way North then the amount of sunlight yopu get may not be sufficient, especially for older folk who don't get out so much especially in the winter. Also as we get older it becomes increasingly difficult o get Vitamin D apparently. Plus the increasing use of total sunblock and general 'sunhine-phobia' may be leading to deficiencies. The doctor reporting said a daily supplement of 1000i.u. would increase blood Vitamin D to 80mcg which is about optimal (and I'm paraphrasing - from memory - here s please forgive any errors/embellishment). If I can find the link to the radio show I'll post it
Got it - here it is
"After a cold winter with little sunlight lack of vitamin D is common, but how do you know if your levels are too low? Traditionally lack of Vitamin D is linked with poor bone health, but new studies suggest that milder deficiency may also be linked to asthma, some cancers and diabetes. Dr Mark Porter investigates and hears from a night shift worker who had such excruciating pain in her hands she thought that she had arthritis - when her doctor checked for vitamin D levels, 3 weeks of supplements cured the pain."
And you can listen here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00s0djn/Case_Notes_Vitamin_D/transcript can be found here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00s0djn#synopsisI hope it helps
