As we’ve reviewed in past posts, vitamin D boasts many benefits for overall health – most notably by contributing to a strong skeleton. This nutrient, which is commonly referred to as the sunshine vitamin because it can be derived from direct sunlight – enables the effective absorption of calcium that is essential for long-term bone support.
Now, a new study that was a joint venture between the U.S Department of Energy, the University of California at Berkeley and the University Medical Center in Hamburg, Germany, has shed further light on how this vitamin not only contributes to the formation of new bone mass, but to the prevention of accelerated aging and mineralization.
“The assumption has been that the main problem with vitamin D deficiency is reduced mineralization for the creation of new bone mass, but we’ve shown that low levels of vitamin D also induces premature aging of existing bone,” said research leader Robert Ritchie – who is affiliated with UC Berkeley and the U.S Department of Energy – in a press release.
The results of this study have indicated that a vitamin D deficiency can lead to poorer bone quality, which, in turn, may increase the risk of skeletal fractures. This discovery, German researcher Bjorn Busse hypothesized, could well have an effect on how such injuries are treated among patients with low levels of the nutrient.
Because vitamin D cannot naturally be derived from many foods, it can be difficult to attain – especially during the winter months – without turning to nutritional supplements. Click to read more information about our multivitamins and vitamins.