Low vitamin D levels increase likelihood of hip breakage in elderly women

NEW YORK Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have found that low vitamin D levels increase the risk of hip fractures in elderly women by 70 percent.

According to HealthDay News, 50 percent of old people who have hip fractures end up in nursing homes, while 20 percent die within the first year due to related complications.

The researchers found that for every 25-nanomole reduction in vitamin D per liter of blood, hip-fracture risk increased by 33 percent. The risk was 71 percent for women with the lowest vitamin D levels.

The report, published in the Aug. 19 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, was based on data collected from 800 women aged 50 to 79.