New Study Finds That Vitamin D Could Help Extend Your Life

Research linked vitamin D deficiency to premature death.

One in three Australians still have mild, moderate or severe vitamin D deficiency despite sunlight being a major source of the vitamin.

Now a new study of the University of South Australia provides compelling evidence that vitamin D deficiency is linked to early mortality, prompting calls for people to follow guidelines for healthy vitamin D levels.

The research, which was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicineindicated that the risk of death increased with the severity of vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that helps us maintain good health by keeping our bones and muscles strong and healthy.

Josh Sutherland, first author and Ph.D. UniSA student, notes that while vitamin D has been linked to mortality, its causal effects have been difficult to prove.

“While severe vitamin D deficiency is rarer in Australia than anywhere else in the world, it can still affect people with health vulnerabilities, the elderly and those who don’t get enough vitamin D through sun exposure. and healthy dietary sources,” says Sutherland.

“Our study provides strong evidence for the connection between low vitamin D levels and mortality, and this is the first study of its kind to also include respiratory disease-related mortality as an outcome. We used a new genetic method to explore and affirm the non-linear relationships we have seen in observational settings, and through this we have been able to provide robust evidence for the connection between low vitamin D status and premature death.”

He continues: “Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to mortality, but since clinical trials often failed to recruit people with low vitamin D levels, or were prohibited from including participants with vitamin D deficiency, it has been challenging. establish causal relationships.

The Mendelian randomization study evaluated 307,601 UK Biobank records. Low vitamin D levels were noted as less than <25 nmol/L with a mean concentration of 45.2 nmol/L. Over a 14-year follow-up period, the researchers found that the risk of death decreased significantly with increasing vitamin D concentrations, with the strongest effects seen among those with severe deficiencies.

Principal Investigator and Director of UniSA’s Australian Center for Precision Health, Professor Elina Hyppönen, says more research is now needed to establish effective public health strategies that can help achieve national guidelines and reduce the risk of premature death. Associated with low levels of vitamin D.

“The final message here is simple: the key is prevention. It is not enough to think about vitamin D deficiency when you are already facing life-challenging situations when early action could make all the difference,” says Professor Hyppönen.

“It is very important to continue public health efforts to ensure that vulnerable people and the elderly maintain sufficient levels of vitamin D throughout the year.”

Reference: “Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of mortality in the UK biobank” by Joshua P. Sutherland, BHSc Nut Med (Hons), Ang Zhou, Ph.D. and Elina Hyppönen, Ph.D., November 2022, Annals of Internal Medicine.
DOI: 10.7326/M21-3324

The study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council.