Heart failure occurs when the heart loses its ability to pump enough blood through the body. It is the most common form of high blood pressure among people age 60 and older. Earlier results from the study showed that the same treatment greatly reduces strokes and cardiovascular events among older persons.
Vitamin D is used by the body to absorb calcium.
As people age, the absorption of calcium, and it is believed, vitamin D, declines, as does production of vitamin D by the skin. The body's decrease in the ability to absorb calcium contributes to bone loss as people age. About 28 million middle-aged and older people are at risk of osteoporosis, with hip fractures related to low bone mass a leading cause of nursing home entry for the elderly. The study, which followed older men and women living at home in the community, showed less total body bone loss in those taking supplements, and, in some cases, improved bone density. One study is a follow-up 15 years later of an earlier study in which nurses visited predominantly Caucasian teen mothers in semirural Elmira, New York.