Vitamins are the building-blocks that keep the body running. Vitamin D, in particular, has garnered a lot of attention in recent years, notably for its role in keeping abnormal cells from multiplying in breast and colon tissues. Symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency include bone and back pain, fatigue and tiredness and depression. A new study has found that the vitamin could be the antidote for heart attack patients, lowering the risk of death.
For their study, researchers analysed data from 20,025 adults with low vitamin D levels and without prior history of MI.
Patients had their vitamin D levels measured on two separate occasions to confirm levels, before being divided into different groups.
Each group was determined through vitamin D treatment status, and the risk for MI and all-cause mortality was thereafter compared using propensity score-weighted models.
Findings showed that the risk for MI was significantly lower in the vitamin D sufficient group.
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Rajat S Barua, chief interventional cardiology and director of cardiovascular research at Kansas City VA Medical Center, told Healio: “Several meta-analyses of epidemiological studies suggest vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk for MI and cardiovascular mortality.
“These randomised controlled trials included patients who already had optimal baseline vitamin D levels, with most having pretreatment levels above 25 ng/mL to 30 ng/ML.
“Based on our study, in vitamin D-deficient patients, repeated measurement and aiming for appropriate target levels of vitamin D levels are important determinants of outcomes in these patients.
“Our study highlights that in this population, a vitamin D levels of at leat 20ng/mL would be sufficient for all-cause mortality, but to reduce the risk of MI in these patients, vitamin D levels needs tone at least 30 ng/mL.”
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For optimal health, the organic compounds in vitamin D need to be ingested in small amounts.
They help the body build muscle and bone, make use of nutrients, capture and use energy and heal wounds.
According to the NHS, “vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphates in the body.
“These nutrients are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles health.
The health body list some good sources of vitamin D:
Oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel
Red meat
Liver
Egg yolk
Fortified foods, such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals
The health body also states that “10 micrograms of vitamin D a day will be enough for most people”.
“A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults”.
Vitamin D deficiency causes
According to Hopkins Medicine, there are different factors that can lead to lower vitamin D levels, including weight, skin, pigmentation and age.
Obesity is a crucial factor, as fat cells in the body can absorb the vitamin and prevent it from circulating throughout the blood streams.
Interestingly, women have lower vitamin D levels than men.Researchers believe this could be due to the suggestion that women carry more body fat than men.
Vitamin D deficiencies are rife among older generations, mainly because olde people are less able to absorb vitamin D from their diet.