Low Levels of Vitamin D Linked to Death in Seniors
– by Eric Sheehan
If you’re a senior with low levels of vitamin D, you’re more likely to die of any cause.
A study following 3,200 Germans of the average age 62, most with heart disease of some form, checked their vitamin D levels every week. Those with low levels of vitamin D were twice as likely to die of any cause within the eight years of the study.
It is unknown if vitamin D was a cause, effect, or correlation.
Vitamin D is known to prevent rickets and strengthen bones, and it also seems to help regulate the immune system. What other roles it has that could affect likelihood of death requires further study.
Vitamin D comes from sunshine, but is blocked when a person wears sunscreen, leading to deficiency. Vitamin D is also found in fish and milk.
