Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Increased Risk of Death

If you’ve been keeping up with your nutritional news, you know that you should be supplementing with vitamin D. The benefits associated with the "sunshine vitamin" are many and include reduced risk for a number of diseases. But that isn’t all: getting ample amounts of vitamin D could extend your life, according to two new studies which prove that vitamin is nothing short of a nutritional miracle.

Researchers reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society that people with low vitamin D levels were three times more likely to die from heart disease and two and a half times more likely to die from any cause than those with optimal vitamin D levels. The scientists wrote: “Current dosage recommendations for vitamin D supplementation appear to be inadequate in most older adults to support [the] higher levels that are associated with optimal general health and reduced mortality.”

In addition, a multi-center study published in the August 2009 issue of Nutrition Research found that vitamin D deficiency placed women at an increased risk of death. While recent study out of China found that 94% of people between the ages of 50 and 70 were vitamin D deficient, which increased their risk of metabolic syndrome — a group of symptoms that occur together and promote the development of coronary artery disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Other research has linked the lack of vitamin D to osteopenia, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, fractures, common cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious disease and cardiovascular disease.

The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: These are just two of many studies highlighting the dangers of low D intake. While the RDA for the vitamin is currently just 400 IU, many experts recommend that 1,000 to 5,000 IU is what's needed to achieve optimum levels. Don't let a vitamin D deficiency put you at risk for health problems as you age. Ask your doctor to check your vitamin D levels so you can be sure you are taking enough supplemental vitamin D to keep your blood levels within a safe range.