Lower vitamin D levels are associated with frequent headaches in men of age group 42 to 60 years.

A recent study published in the Scientific Reports journal showed that men with low vitamin-D levels were prone to frequent headaches.  The study showed that 70% of men had blood vitamin-D levels below 50nmol/L.

On an average, men who had frequent headaches (once a week) had vitamin D levels of 38.3noml/L compared to 43.9nmol/L without any frequent headaches.  The study also showed that men who had vitamin-D levels below 28.9nmol/L were likely to have more frequent headaches.

The sedentary lifestyle and decreased physical activity now-a-days have forced one to stay indoors thus, increasing the health complications in an individual.  Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin present in the diet and is also available naturally through sunlight.  Vitamin D helps in absorption and uptake of calcium in the bones of the body.

Vitamin D deficiency is a major health concern among men living in hill stations and cold regions of the country where there is no sufficient sunlight throughout the year.  These men are likely to develop more frequent headaches as they are not exposed to sun and spend most of the time staying indoors.

Vitamin D rich diet and vitamin D supplements may prevent frequent recurrence of headaches.

In other research, it was found that older adults with low vitamin D levels may suffer memory loss & lose their thinking abilities faster than those with normal vitamin D levels. The researchers expressed no surprise at the results as there is growing evidence on the link between vitamin D levels & risk of Alzheimer's disease/dementia, cognitive decline, and brain atrophy.

Source: Jyrki K. Virtanen, Rashid Giniatullin, Pekka Mäntyselkä, Sari Voutilainen, Tarja Nurmi, Jaakko Mursu, Jussi Kauhanen & Tomi-Pekka Tuomainen. Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is associated with higher risk of frequent headache in middle-aged and older men. Scientific Reports 7, Article number: 39697 (2017)