Vitamin D cuts diabetes, heart disease risk--study

Researchers at the Warwick Medical School, England found that elderly people, ingesting more vitamins through diet and sunlight, have a lesser tendency to fall prey to heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome-- a combination of disorders occurring in old age due to sedentary lifestyle, stress, and obesity.

Dr. Johanna Parker, general practitioner, Birmingham and one of the authors of the study said, “We recommend people eat a healthy diet with two to three portions of oily fish a week and five portions of fruit and vegetables.”

“About 90 per cent, of your vitamin D comes from sunshine so we recommend sensible sun exposure in the summer,” added Parker.

28 existing studies evaluated
To reach this conclusion, the research team reviewed 28 accessible studies published between the years 1990 and 2009.

Through these studies, records of 99,745 people, both middle aged and elderly, were assessed to determine the levels of vitamin D in their body, and their propensity to suffer from any of the three diseases.

It was revealed that people with higher levels of vitamin D had 33 percent lesser risk of cardiovascular diseases, 55 percent decline in type 2 diabetes, along with 51 percent lesser chances of building up of metabolic syndrome.

Co-author of the study, Dr. Oscar Franco, assistant professor in public health, Warwick Medical School concluded, “Targeting vitamin D deficiency in adult populations could potentially slow the current epidemics of cardio-metabolic disorders.”

Benefits of the ‘sunshine vitamin’
Although, difficult to store in the body, vitamin D is easily obtainable through various food products, and also by a chemical reaction of sunlight on the skin.

Apart from enhancing the functioning of the blood vessels or immune system, vitamin D is known to decelerate the growth of cancerous cells in the body.

Intake of the vitamin also leads to healthier bones, the researchers stated.

The vitamin can not only be obtained through foods like salmon, tuna, and other oily fish, but is also available in supplementary forms-- vitamin D2 and vitamin D3, of which, the researchers suggested the latter for its effectiveness.

However, they cautioned against excessive intake which might weaken the bones or damage liver and kidneys.

Details of the study appear in the Journal Maturitas.