2024-03-13 08:53:00
A vitamin D level that is too low is often underestimated by many people or not even noticed.
However, a study by the Medical University of Vienna reveals how dangerous a deficiency can be.
Vitamin D deficiency: Dietary intake is not enough
First of all, however, it should be mentioned that the Vitamin D supplementation by no means can everything. A team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School found that taking vitamin D has no effect on whether you are more susceptible to depressions is or not. Contrary to what you first believed. The team disproved a widespread misconception.
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In the broadest study on this topic to date, around 18,000 middle-aged men were observed over a period of five years. The results were published in the journal JAMA and allow clear conclusions to be drawn as to what the Prevention of depression with vitamin D concerns.
Vitamin D has a special status among all vitamins: it can not only be absorbed through diet, but is also produced by the body itself – especially through the absorption of sun rays. The pure Intake through food is often not enough to cover the body’s vitamin D needs.
Vitamin D deficiency and increased mortality: This is how they are related
What consequences? Vitamin D Deficiency Austrian scientists have investigated – the results of the study are worrying. The scientists at the University of Vienna analyzed whether there is a connection between a vitamin D deficiency in the body and increased mortality. They presented their results at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.
The study produced the following findings: Increased mortality and vitamin D deficiency are closely related. Parallels could be found, especially among younger and middle-aged people. What is also shocking is that vitamin D deficiency has been linked to deaths caused by diabetes in particular.
The connection between increased mortality and vitamin D deficiency has already been proven in numerous studies. However, a large part of the research can be traced back to the examination of older test subjects. Here, an influence on the results by an increased rate of vitamin D supplementation cannot be ruled out.
Vienna study on vitamin D deficiency
In the Department of Laboratory Medicine General Hospital in Vienna Measurements were taken between 1991 and 2011 in a total of 78,581 patients (31.5 percent male, average age 51 years). Vitamin D content in the body carried out. The researchers in the new study used data from the recordings and compared them with the Austrian one Death register. If possible, patients were followed for up to 20 years (average time was 10.5 years).
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The mean value for the blood level of vitamin D was 50 nmol/l (nanomoles per liter). This value could then be compared to a low blood level (10 nmol/l) and a high blood level (90 nmol/l) of vitamin D.
These observations revealed that a… Low levels of vitamin D in the blood are associated with a two- to three-fold increase in the risk of death became. The greatest effect (2.9-fold increased risk) was observed in patients aged 45 to 60 years. It fell by up to 40 percent Overall mortalitywhen a Vitamin D blood levels of 90 nmol/l was present. Here, too, the greatest effect was seen in test subjects between the ages of 45 and 60. Only in patients over 75 years of age did the higher vitamin D blood level not show a statistically significant connection.
Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of death: diabetics are particularly affected
Part of the study also examined the connections between vitamin D and various diseases. For this purpose, the values of the cause-specific mortality, i.e. the number of Deaths due to a specific disease in relation to the size of the population, compared with the blood content. Surprisingly, the biggest connection here is not between Cardiovascular diseases or Krebs.
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A completely different disease reacted particularly intensively to a vitamin D deficiency: diabetes patients. Diabetic from the vitamin D deficiency group (less than or equal to 50 nmol/l) had a 4.4 times higher risk of dying from the disease than the diabetes sufferers from the comparison group. For people who suffer from diabetes, it is particularly important that the vitamin D content in the body is well regulated and not low Deficiency symptoms appear.
At the end of the study, the scientists came to the clear conclusion: a strong connection can be confirmed between vitamin D deficiency (below 50 nmol/l) and increased mortality. It is therefore recommended that everyone always keep an eye on their own vitamin D levels in the body in order to avoid deficiency symptoms and an increased risk of death.
Prevention no, lower mortality yes
Other analyzes also show that mortality could be reduced by administering vitamin D. But what the studies also showed was that preventive administration of vitamin D could not reduce the incidence, i.e. the occurrence of cancer. A group led by Dr. Nana Keum from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston published her results in the journal “Annals of Oncology”.
They showed that the incidence of cancer in their subjects did not decrease due to increased vitamin D levels. Mortality, however, was strongly influenced. What was important, however, was that only daily supplementation had an effect. Occasional use had no effect. The protective effect of vitamin D in cancer patients could be explained by a reduction in the tendency of tumors to metastasize.
Both the study by Keum’s group and a meta-analysis in the “Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives”, also from 2019, indicate that preventative vitamin D supplementation can be useful, even if it is unlikely of cancer does not reduce. It is to be feared that regular administration of vitamin D after a cancer diagnosis may come too late. According to the authors around Dr. Tarek Haykal from Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan. Mortality falls especially when a person already develops cancer with an elevated vitamin D level and does not only begin to build up an elevated level when the disease becomes known.
Conclusion on vitamin D and risk of death
These analyzes show that it can’t hurt to take vitamin D in order to be prepared, so to speak, if the worst comes to the worst. There are many ways to reduce the likelihood of developing cancer, but unfortunately not by taking vitamins. However, if you get cancer, it can be helpful to already have a sufficiently high vitamin D level so that it can take effect.
Are you interested in the topics of “cancer diseases”, “prevention” and “treatment options”? You can find more information here:
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