Why Vitamin D is essential as you grow older

Topping up on Vitamin D may help prevent older people from falling, according to a new study.

While the suggested benefits of Vitamin D have previously included increase in muscle, this small US study, carried out among a Meals on Wheels group, saw a reduction in falls by half among those who took an additional 100,000 international units of vitamin D, compared to participants on placebos.

The results were published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society but researchers say larger trials need to be carried out.

A recent large-scale survey in Ireland found a lower rate of falls among older people than previous international studies: 19% of people aged 50+; 18% of those aged 50-64 years and 24% of people aged 75+.