Increased Risk Of Death Associated With Low Vitamin D Levels
August 14th, 2008 | by admin |Low vitamin D levels are associated with a higher risk of death,according to a report released on August 11, 2008 in the Archivesof Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
VitaminD is a group of prohormones that play important roles in calciummetabolism, bone formation, parathyroid function, and the immunesystem. Presently, the ideal bood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D(25[OH]D) has been suggested as 30 nanograms per milliliter or higher.In the United States, approximately 41% of men and 53% of women havelevels lower than 28 nanograms per milliliter.
There are manypotential health problems that could contribute to death in individualswith low vitamin D levels, including an effect on blood pressure,insulin response, or risk of obesity and diabetes.
Toinvestigate the potential implications of this deficiency, Michal L.Melamed, M.D., M.H.S., of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine,Bronx, N.Y., and colleagues examined 13,331 individuals in the ThirdNational Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES III), alarge cohort study performed by the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention (CDC). These individuals were examined for Vitamin D levelsbetween 1988 and 1994, and tracked through 2000, with a median 8.7years of follow-up.
In this period, 1,806 participants died.When divided into groups based on vitamin D levels, the groupmaintaining the lowest level, defined as less than 17.8 nanograms permilliliter, showed a 26% increased risk of death from any cause incomparison with the group with the highest levels of vitamin D. Thiswas not associated with cardiovascular disease or cancer alone.
The authors conclude that “the lowest 25(OH)D quartile (less than 17.8nanograms per milliliter)is associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality in the generalU.S. population.” They continue: “Further observational studies areneeded to confirm these findings andestablish the mechanisms underlying these observations. If confirmed,randomized clinical trials will be needed to determine whether vitaminD supplementation at higher doses could have any potential benefit inreducing future mortality risk in those with 25(OH)D deficiency.”
25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and the Risk of Mortality in theGeneral Population
Michal L. Melamed, MD, MHS; Erin D. Michos, MD, MHS; Wendy Post, MD,MS; Brad Astor, PhD
Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(15):1629-1637
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Written by Anna Sophia McKenney
Copyright: Medical News Today
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