People with low Vitamin D could die sooner!

If you hate the sun and love to lounge indoors, it's time you read this. Walking around in the sun could reduce your chances of dying prematurely.

By: Editorial Team | | Published: June 13, 2014 5:09 pm

If you hate the sun and love to lounge indoors, it’s time you read this. Walking around in the sun could reduce your chances of dying prematurely. Also Read - High vitamin D pregnancy linked to greater child IQ: Foods rich in vitamin D

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Exposing your skin to the Sun may help you live long as people with lower blood levels of vitamin D are twice as likely to die prematurely as compared to people with higher blood levels of vitamin D, research suggests. ‘Three years ago, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) – the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences in the US – concluded that having a too-low blood level of vitamin D was hazardous,’ said Cedric Garland, a professor at University of California, San Diego. Also Read - Vitamin B12 can prevent irreversible nerve damage in diabetics: Get this nutrient from these 6 foods

The new study supports that conclusion but goes one step further, Garland added. The 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) blood level cutoff assumed from the IOM report was based solely on the association of low vitamin D with risk of bone disease. This new finding is based on the association of low vitamin D with risk of premature death from all causes and not just bone diseases, Garland explained. The study included residents of 14 countries, including the United States, and data from 566,583 participants. (Read: Lack of vitamin D could damage your brain)

The average age when the blood was drawn in this study was 55 years; the average length of follow-up was nine years. The blood level amount of vitamin D associated with about half of the death rate was 30 ng/ml, Garland added. ‘This study should give the medical community and public substantial reassurance that vitamin D is safe when used in appropriate doses up to 4,000 International Units (IU) per day,’ Heather Hofflich, a professor in the UC San Diego School of Medicine, noted. (Read: 12 health risks of Vitamin D deficiency)

The study appeared in American Journal of Public Health.

Why we need vitamin D?

Poonam Singh, a Clinical Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Educator, explains the importance of vitamin D in our bodies. She says, ‘Vitamin D is a very important fat soluble vitamin for human body. Here are some of the main functions it performs:

Helps in maintenance and absorption of calcium which in turn is essential in promoting bone health
Improves Bone Mineral density (BMD), strengthens bones and protects against osteoporosis and fractures
Prevents heart disease and cancer
Increases immunity
Controls cell growth and neuromuscular function
Very important for menopausal women and ageing individuals to prevent risk of osteoporosis
Prevents rickets in children
Helps in muscular strength and functions of the body.’

Read more about Why your body needs vitamin D

With inputs from IANS

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Published : June 13, 2014 5:09 pm

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