Vitamin D Associated With Lower Risk of Premature Death

Vitamin D plays an important role in many body functions, ranging from bone health to immune health..  According to a new study, having sufficient levels of vitamin D may help protect against early death from all-causes, including cardiovascular disease.

Participants in the study included 4,570 adults (average age of 62) who took part in the NHANES III and NHANES 2001–2018 studies, and self-reported joint health problems. Serum vitamin D concentrations were measured for all participants. They were followed for an average of 7.6 years and all deaths were recorded.

Over the course of the study, those who had sufficient levels of vitamin D (defined as 75 nmol/L or greater) had a lower risk of death compared to those who were vitamin D insufficient (defined as between 50 nmol/L  and 75 nmol/L)  or deficient (defined as less than 50 nmol/L). The vitamin D level with the lowest all-cause mortality risk was found to be about 84.50 nmol/L.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Zhejiang University School of Medicine. It was published online ahead of print on November 3, 2022 in the journal Nutrients.

 A previous study found that optimizing selenium levels also may help reduce all-cause mortality risks.