Plain language summary
A growing body of evidence supports foods and nutrients as a potential means to prevent and reduce pain. Among the most promising is vitamin D. Low serum vitamin D concentrations are frequent among older adults and have also been associated with conditions such as widespread pain, muscle pain, arthritis, and low-back pain. The aim of this study was to study the association of habitual dietary vitamin D intake with (1) pain incidence and (2) pain changes over a 5-year follow-up in a cohort of community-dwelling older adults. This study is based on data from the Seniors-ENRICA-1 study, a cohort of community-dwelling adults ≥60 years in Spain. Results show that higher dietary vitamin D intake was associated with lower pain incidence and favourable pain changes over 5 years. These associations were consistent in main and sensitivity analyses and highlight the potential role of dietary vitamin D intake as an adjunctive pain prevention and management strategy. Authors conclude that diet is often measured with some error, can change over time, and its effects on health could be cumulative, larger observational studies with repeated assessment of vitamin D intake should replicate these findings.
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vitamin D plays a role in bone health, pain signaling, and inflammation. We examined the largely unknown relation of dietary vitamin D intake with pain incidence and pain changes over time in older adults. METHODS Data were taken from the Seniors-ENRICA-1 cohort, which included 950 individuals aged ≥60 years. Habitual vitamin D intake was assessed in 2012 with a validated diet history, and pain both in 2012 and 2017 with a scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 6 (highest pain), according to its severity, frequency, and number of locations. Analyses on pain incidence and pain changes were performed in the 524 participants free of pain at baseline and the overall sample, respectively. RESULTS Higher dietary vitamin D intake was associated with lower 5-year pain incidence; the multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 0.88 (0.79,0.99) for every 1-µg/day increase in vitamin D intake, and 0.49 (0.28,0.88) for the highest (>3.52 µg/day) vs. lowest (<1.85 µg/day) tertile. Dietary vitamin D intake (highest vs. lowest tertile) was also associated with 5-year favorable pain changes: the multivariable-adjusted odds ratio of pain worsening vs. no change/pain improvement was 0.55 (0.36,0.86), and the β coefficient for changes in the pain scale was -0.56 (-1.03,-0.09). Similar results were found for pain severity, frequency, and number of pain locations. CONCLUSIONS In an older adult population, where compliance with vitamin D intake recommendations was very low, a slightly increased dietary intake was associated with lower pain incidence and favorable pain changes over 5 years.
Methodological quality
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