Vitamin D: ultraviolet light and well-being of older people

Veleva, B.I. (2021)

Doctoral Thesis

Vitamin D is a hormone produced in the skin via a non-enzymatic process involving ultraviolet light.
It is well known that the physiology of aging makes older people particularly susceptible to vitamin D deficiency and that, if untreated, it can have serious health consequences. This thesis deliberates on the topics of vitamin D supplementation in older people in light of the current guidelines and on the possible additional effects of ultraviolet light beyond vitamin D synthesis on nursing home residents. We present a cross-sectional study in nursing home residents aged 70 years and over designed to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in achieving vitamin D sufficiency. We also discuss the different supplementation strategies for nursing home residents and community dwelling persons aged 70 years and over based on a survey administered to general practitioners and elderly care physicians in the Netherlands.
In the second part we concentrate on additional effects of ultraviolet light beyond vitamin D synthesis. We describe our systematic review of literature on the effect of ultraviolet light, when applied to the skin or eyes, on mood, depression and well-being. We present also our randomized controlled trial on the effect of ultraviolet radiation compared with oral vitamin D supplementation on the well-being of nursing home residents with dementia. Further we use the data of the RCT to carry out a post-hoc analysis to compare the effect of vitamin D alone compared with ultraviolet radiation on the blood pressure of old people with dementia.

• Ultraviolet light
• Well-being
• Depression
• Agitation
• Blood pressure
• Nursing home residents
• Older people
• Dementia

• All authors: Veleva, B.I.
• Supervisor: Numans, M.E.
• Co-supervisor: Chel, V.G.M.; Caljouw, M.A.A.
• Committee: Achterberg, W.P.; Bodegom, D. van; Elders, P.; Gerritsen, D.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Faculty of Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center [LUMC], Leiden University
• Date: 2021-11-23