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Deaths caused by cardiovascular disease were higher among people with the lowest levels of vitamin D
According to a study published in the June 23 edition of Archives of Internal Medicine people with lower levels of vitamin D in their blood are more susceptible to dieing sooner than people with higher levels of the so called sunshine vitamin, vitamin D in their blood.
On the other side of that coin, the study found that individuals who are deficient in vitamin D doubled the normal risk of having a heart attack.
Harald Dobnig, an internist and endocrinologist at the University of Graz in Austria and lead author of the study said, "This is the first association study that shows vitamin D affects mortality regardless of the (primary) reason for death."
Sunlight is critical for the production of vitamin D in the body which makes skin healthy. Using sunscreen can interfere with this process and as we age, vitamin D production slows down as well.
What Vitamin D does exactly is to help in absorbing calcium, which, in-turn, helps in developing and maintaining healthy bones, muscles and teeth. There are a few foods that contain a natural source of Vitamin D like eggs and liver, and some types of fish (tuna, salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel), but for the most part, Vitamin D comes from the sun.
In the past, people generally got enough vitamin D through exposure to sunlight during normal day-to-day outdoor activities. But these days many people have very low levels of daily sun exposure. Reduced outdoor activities, geographic conditions, modern lifestyle and air pollution all contribute to lower levels of Vitamin D in the body.
Dobnig, and his team, looked at the data of more than 3,200 men and women with the average age of 62. Each individual underwent angiography, and more than two-thirds had significant blockages in their coronary arteries.
During the 8-year follow-up, the researchers documented that during that time 747 people have died, 463 of them from heart disease.
But they also discovered that the deaths caused by cardiovascular disease (and every other cause for that matter) were higher among people with the lowest levels of vitamin D.
"Apart from the proved effects that vitamin D has on bone metabolism and neuromuscular function, appropriate serum levels are associated with a decrease in mortality" the researchers wrote in the published report.
They concluded, "Although not proved, it seems possible that at least part of this effect may be due to lowering of a risk profile promoting atherosclerosis and preventing cardiovascular end points.”
This most recent study is confirming the health benefits of Vitamin D, and adds credence to previous research like the 2006 research from the Vrije University in Amsterdam that found that an increase of vitamin D intake -- from supplements, diet or sun exposure -- may lower the risk of falls in the elderly.
Another health study revealed that low levels of Vitamin D in men may put them at greater risk of a heart attack, and yet another found that deficiency of Vitamin D early in pregnancy leads to a five-fold increased risk of pre-eclampsia. American scientists recently claimed that vitamin D may extend the lives of people with colondefine and rectal cancerdefine.
Deficiency of Vitamin D is alarmingly widespread among industrialized nations and that deficiency directly promotes osteoporosis, breast cancer, prostate cancerdefine, tuberculosis, depressiondefine, calcium deficiency, gum disease, type 1 diabetesdefine, asthma and even schizophrenia. Insufficient exposure to sun is also linked to higher risk of multiple sclerosis. Alzheimer’s disease as well is often associated with low levels of vitamin D.
Children with a vitamin D deficiency can develop rickets... a disorder that almost disappeared but seems to be gaining ground once again.
The researchers and scientists warned people not to turn around and start roasting themselves in the sun... too much sun exposure can increase the risk of skin cancer. A sensible balance is essential: according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's recommendation sitting around half an hour to an hour outside in the sunlight or having 400 daily IU’s of vitamin D are enough for a person.
So if you turn off your TV and computer, and just soak up a little sunlight every day, you can actually increase your lifespan as well as contribute to other healthy benefits.
