Vitamin D, Magical vitamin, could help u live longer

Researchers recently carried out a meta-analysis, in which they examined 18 previously published studies which had suggested that deficiencies in vitamin D lead to a higher risk of death from cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

The current analysis indicates that those individuals isolated from the studies who did take vitamin D had a seven percent lower risk of death than those who did not take it.

Commenting on the findings the researchers, hailing from the International Agency for Research on Cancer in France and from the European Institute of Oncology in Italy, said: "If the associations made between vitamin D and these conditions were consistent, then interventions effectively strengthening vitamin D status should result in reduced total mortality.”

Digging deeper

The researchers searched for randomized controlled trials of vitamin D supplements published before November 2006. In the end, they analyzed 18 separate trials involving 57,311 participants.

The average vitamin D dose was 528iu (international units), but ranged from 300 to 2,000iu. Commercially available supplements generally range from 400 to 600iu.

Over an average follow-up period of 5.7 years, 4,777 of the participants died.
Of the nine trials that had collected blood samples, those who took supplements had an average of between 1.4 and 5.2 times higher blood levels of vitamin D than those who did not.

The researchers said: "In conclusion, the intake of ordinary doses of vitamin D supplements seems to be associated with decreases in total mortality rates."

However, the relationship between vitamin D status and supplementation remains to be understood and the researchers are calling for population-based, placebo-controlled randomized trials to further investigate the findings.

"Mechanisms by which vitamin D supplementation would decrease all-cause mortality are not clear," said the researchers.

Despite gaps in understanding vitamin D's role in prevention, it is even more urgent to improve public awareness on the need for vitamin D supplementation and exposure. Such is the opinion of Dr. Edward Giovannucci, from the Harvard School of Public Health, who wrote an editorial accompanying the published meta-analysis.

"Nonetheless, based on the total body of evidence of health conditions associated with vitamin D deficiency, abetted with the results from this meta-analysis, a more proactive attitude to identify, prevent and treat vitamin D deficiency should be part of standard medical care," said Giovannucci.

"From a broader public health perspective, the roles of moderate sun exposure, food fortification with vitamin D and higher-dose vitamin D supplements for adults need to be debated."

In adults, vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteopenia, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, fractures, common cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases.

Courtesy
http://www.thehealthierlife.co.uk/article/3843/vitamin-d-longevity-anti-ageing.html