Low 'sunshine vitamin' linked to heart disease in elderly

A new research conducted by the researchers from the University of Warwick (UWMS) Coventry, West Midlands, UK suggests that lack of vitamin D may be connected with metabolic syndrome, a combination of medical and metabolic disorders which heightens the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.

Details of the study
For the study, team led by Dr Oscar Franco at UWMS, UK, looked at the association between vitamin D levels in the blood and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in 3,262 Chinese people aged 50-70 years.

The scientists found that nearly 94 percent of the participants seemed to lack vitamin D and 42 percent also had metabolic syndrome.

Elderly people are more at risk of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency as they lead a sedentary, indoor lifestyle, have poor diet.

Their natural ageing process also takes its toll. Dr. Franco said, “As we get older our skin is less efficient at forming vitamin D and our diet may also become less varied, with a lower natural vitamin D content.”

“Most importantly, however, the dermal production of vitamin D following a standard exposure to UVB light decreases with age because of atrophic skin changes. When we are older we may need to spend more time outdoors to stimulate the same levels of vitamin D we had when we were younger,” he added.

Study author also called for further research on this and said, "Vitamin D deficiency is now recognised as a worldwide concern and metabolic syndrome has become a global epidemic.

“More research is needed to find out why older people are more likely to have lower levels of vitamin D and how this is linked to the development of metabolic syndrome and related metabolic diseases."

The findings of the study were published in the online version of the publication Diabetes Care.

About vitamin D
The sunshine vitamin can be produced by the body upon exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is also found in fatty fish like salmon, egg yolks and margarine.

For decades, sufficient levels of Vitamin D have been associated with numerous health benefits. This vitamin is an essential component in bone health, and helps ensure that the body absorbs calcium, which is critical for building strong, healthy bones. It is also believed to strengthen the immune system and lower blood pressure.

Past studies have shown that Vitamin D may help in cutting the risk of prostate, breast and colon cancer. Medical studies have suggested that Vitamin D may also help with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Alzheimer’s disease is often associated with low levels of vitamin D.

Deficiency of Vitamin D can occur due to inadequate dietary intake of vitamin D, malabsorption of vitamin D, or too little exposure to sunlight. Levels are improved by moving out and about in the sunshine.

As little as 30 minutes of early morning or late afternoon sunlight on the face, hands and arms twice or thrice a week can supply the entire vitamin D one needs. In addition, many experts recommend 400-600 IU a day for people over the age of 50 and 800 IU for those over the age of 70. For younger adults, 200-400 IU a day is probably sufficient.