Study Links Vitamin D to Quality of Life Canadians wait for it every year: the annual flight of the snowbirds in winter. Could there be an underlying health reason these birds take flight to sunnier climates? A researcher at the University of Alberta thinks so. Experts agree that vitamin D is beneficial for bone health, but its relationship to overall quality of life is a little-understood area. However, Paul Veugelers, professor in the School of Public Health, recently published research showing that the sun’s rays have a deeper benefit to our well-being. Veugelers and fellow researchers teamed up to study health-related quality of life in seniors. In the study, published in Quality of Life Research, about 1,500 people participating in lifestyle counselling programs had their blood drawn to assess vitamin D levels. They also answered a questionnaire to provide a self-assessment of five factors used to quantify health-related quality of life: their personal mobility, self-care, everyday activities, pain or discomfort, and anxiety and depression. “In this study, we observed a clear relationship between higher vitamin D serum levels and a better quality of life,” says Veugelers. “In other words: you don’t feel well? Sit in the sun, [go for a tan!] or take some vitamin D supplements.”
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 15:39:00 +0000
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