Vitamin D response of older people in residential aged care to sunlight-derived ultraviolet radiation.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc.

The aim of this study was to determine the vitamin D response to sunlight ultraviolet radiation in older people.

The purpose of this study is to measure the ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure of those in residential aged care in an earlier trial of sunlight exposure and to determine its effect on their vitamin D response.

Why It Was Studied

Natural sun exposure is not a practical intervention for vitamin D deficiency in this population.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 248 participants were involved.

The age groups tagged for this paper are people over 80, both men and women.

Attendance data, demographic, clinical and biochemical variables for 248 participants were used for a secondary analysis of a previous cluster randomized trial of sunlight exposure and falls.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized study.

The participants were allocated by chance, so the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc group and the comparison group should start out alike.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Calcium, Radiometry, Sunlight, Vitamin D and Vitamin D Deficiency.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 248 participants.

Its findings take up roughly 6 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2014 (Archives of osteoporosis), a journal based in England.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, all human trials.