Research links vitamin D deficiency to premature death | 研究將維生素 D 缺乏與過早死亡聯繫起來

Vitamin D deficiency may increase risk of drying prematurely, a new study from the University of South Australia (UNISA) suggests.

The study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine shows that risk of premature death increases with the severity of the vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D is well known for its role in maintaining bone health. But a myriad benefits have been discovered including its boosting of innate immunity against bacterial infections, reducing cancer risk and help diabetes among others.

The current study finds that “Odds of all-cause mortality in the genetic analysis were estimated to increase by 25% (odds ratio, 1.25 [95% CI, 1.16 to 1.35]) for participants with a measured 25-(OH)D concentration of 25 nmol/L compared with 50 nmol/L.”

The study was based on measurements of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-(OH)D) and genetic data from 307 601 unrelated UK Biobank participants of White European ancestry aged 37 to 73 years at baseline.

However, the statistical association between vitamin D deficiency and elevated risk of premature death is not a causal relation, according to Josh Sutherland, A doctoral student at UniSA who is the first author of the study publication.