The results of the study, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, pointed to the need for public health strategies to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D in the population, as the results linked low sunshine vitamin status to increased mortality.
Researchers from the University of South Australia in Adelaide conducted a randomized study of 307,601 participants from the UK Biobank, to assess genetic evidence for a causal role of low vitamin D status in mortality.
The researchers assessed participants’ measurements of the 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency test and other genetic data, recording and analyzing all-cause and cause-specific mortality data.
Over the 14-year follow-up period, the authors found that the risk of death decreased significantly with increasing vitamin D concentrations, and the strongest effects were observed in people in the severe deficiency range.
The researchers noted that recent estimates of the prevalence of severe deficiency range from 5 to 50 percent of the population, with rates varying by geographic location and population characteristics.
According to the researchers, the study confirms the potential for a significant impact on premature death and the continuing need for efforts to eliminate vitamin D deficiency.
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