Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Increased Risk of Death

Yara Sameh

People who are not getting enough vitamin D have a significantly increased risk of death than those with a healthy amount, research has suggested.

Scientists have discovered that having low vitamin concentrations — produced by the body when subjected to sunlight — is heavily linked to dying from any cause.

The study also found that patients with diabetes were encountered a higher risk of death if they were deficient in vitamin D.

‘Findings’

The findings showed patients were four-and-a-half times more likely to die from diabetes if they had low levels of the nutrient.

Researchers examined records of 78,581 diabetics of all ages at the General Hospital of Vienna in Austria within 1991 and 2011.

Data was then matched with the Austrian national register of deaths 20 years later. There were 11,877 deaths at that time.

The study found vitamin D levels of 10 nmol/L or less were linked with a two to three times increase in the risk of dying from any cause.

“The largest effect was observed in patients aged 45 to 60 years,” The team said.

A recent study – published in the European Journal of Endocrinology— in July pointed out that taking Vitamin D supplementation may help diabetes patients.

The supplementation might slow the development of type 2 diabetes in newly diagnosed and prediabetes patients.

It indicated that high-dose of the supplementation may enhance the metabolism of glucose to avoid diabetes growth and advancement.

What is the importance of Vitamin D?

The vitamin is essential for strong bones, as it provides the body with its need if calcium. It can be found in foods including, some fish, fish liver oils, egg yolks, and in fortified dairy and grain products.

'Health Risks of Vitamin D Deficiency'

Lack of Vitamin D has been linked to many symptoms including rickets — a disease in which the bone tissue does not properly mineralize — leading to soft bones and skeletal deformities.