Researchers found the secret to living longer

Published on August 1, 2008 8:08 AM

Vitamin D plays a very important role in human organism. Researchers in Austria and Germany found that people who have low levels of vitamin D are more likely to have a shorter life span than people who do not.

Scientists said that the secret to living longer is to get plenty of sunshine.

They added that high doses of Vitamin D - which is mainly absorbed through the skin from ultraviolet (UV) rays - can help dramatically slash the risk of dying.

Austrian researcher Harald Dobnig found the risk of death doubles if people only have a quarter of what are considered healthy levels of Vitamin D.

Dobnig and colleagues followed 3,258 male and female patients with an average age of 62 for nearly 8 years. The patients had been referred for a heart examination too.

The researchers analyzed levels of two types of vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D and 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D) in blood samples taken at enrollment versus deaths due to cardiovascular and all causes.

The results showed that:

• 737 patients (22.6 per cent) died, including 463 deaths from cardiovascular causes during a median follow up of 7.7 years.
• Patients whose baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were below the mid-point of the group (the lower 2 quartiles) were at significantly higher risk of death from both cardiovascular and all causes.
• The effect stayed the same when the researchers eliminated cardiovascular risk factors in patients with different levels of physical activity, other illnesses, or coronary artery disease.
• The figures for 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D showed similar but slightly weaker effects.
• Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D also correlated significantly with blood level indicators of inflammation such as C reactive protein, and oxidative damage to cells.

After this research Dobnig and his colleagues concluded that low 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels are independently associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. A causal relationship has yet to be proved by intervention trials using vitamin D.

They also suggested that vitamin D reduces the risk of atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular problems.

The researchers reported that 50 to 60% of older people all over the world do not have enough vitamin D in their bodies, and the situation for younger people is not very different.

A number of recent studies have also indicated vitamin D may offer a variety of other health benefits, including protecting against cancer, peripheral artery disease and tuberculosis.