
A new study at the University of Colorado Denver and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) says that vitamin D plays a vital role in reducing the risk of death associated with older age.
The research has been published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. It evaluated the association between vitamin D levels in the blood and the death rates of those 65 and older.
The study found that older adults with insufficient levels of vitamin D die from heart disease at greater rates that those with adequate levels of the vitamin.
Given the aging population and the simplicity of increasing a person's level of vitamin D, a small improvement in death rates could have a substantial impact on public health," the expert added.
Older adults are at high risk for vitamin D deficiency because their skin has less exposure to the sun due to more limited outdoor activities as well as reduced ability to make vitamin D.
The study analyzed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics.
The research team analyzed vitamin D in blood samples of more than 3,400 participants that were selected to be representative of the 24 million older adults in the United States. Compared to those with optimal vitamin D status, those with low vitamin D levels were 3 times more likely to die from heart disease and 2.5 times more likely to die from any cause.
Source: ANI
ARU
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