Beware, Vitamin D deficiency can lead to early death

Vitamin D deficiency has long been linked to poor bone health. But did you know it could casually kill you?

According to a study based in gene analysis, vitamin D deficiency can cause early death. The study, involving 96,000 participants from large-scale population studies in Denmark, found a causal relationship between increased mortality and low vitamin D levels. To determine the relationship, researchers analysed vitamin D levels measured using blood samples from the studies, and examined specific genetic defects. All participants were followed for mortality from 1976 until 2014.

‘We can see that genes associated with low Vitamin D levels involve an increased mortality rate of 30 percent and, more specifically, a 40 percent higher risk of cancer-related deaths,’ said Shoaib Afzal, medical doctor at Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. ‘An important factor in our study is that we have established a causal relationship,’ Afzal added.

Our body can synthesise vitamin D by skin exposure to sunlight. Evidence suggests that sunshine has a positive effect on our health, but sunburns must be avoided as they increase the risk of skin cancer. A diet rich in Vitamin D or the intake of Vitamin D supplements can also cover our need to some extent.  (Read: Beware, vitamin D deficiency can make you infertile)

‘Our study shows that low Vitamin D levels do result in higher mortality rates,’ Borge Nordestgaard from University of Copenhagen said.  (Read: Vitamin D deficiency linked to poor brain function after cardiac arrest)

Here are other health risks of low levels of vitamin D you must know.

1. Diabetes:

Vitamin D plays an important role in secretion of insulin to help balance sugar levels in the blood. Research suggests that low levels of vitamin D increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Some studies have also found that the vitamin D also increases the risk of type 1 diabetes. Here are 10 tips to keep your blood sugar under control.

2. Hypertension:

Indian research based on a large scale observational data showed that people having low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (a form of vitamin D) had a higher risk of developing hypertension; however, the correlation is not yet found. Here are some herbal remedies for hypertension. Here are 12 health other risks of Vitamin D deficiency

With inputs from IANS