HIGH LEVELS OF VITAMIN D IS SUSPECTED OF INCREASING MORTALITY RATES
The level of vitamin D
in our blood should neither be too high nor to low. Scientists from the
University of Copenhagen are the first in the world to show that there is a
connection between high levels of vitamin D and cardiovascular deaths.
In terms of public
health, a lack of vitamin D has long been a focal point. Several studies have
shown that too low levels can prove detrimental to our health. However, new
research from the University of Copenhagen reveals, for the first time, that
also too high levels of vitamin D in our blood is connected to an increased
risk of dying from a stroke or a coronary.
The results have just
been published in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism.
"We have studied
the level of vitamin D in 247,574 Danes, and so far, it constitutes the world's
largest basis for this type of study. We have also analysed their mortality
rate over a seven-year period after taking the initial blood sample, and in
that time 16,645 patients had died. Furthermore, we have looked at the
connection between their deaths and their levels of vitamin D," Professor
at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Peter Schwarz explains.
The conclusion is
clear: the study confirms that there is indeed a correlation between mortality
rates and too low levels of vitamin D, but the new thing is that the level of
vitamin D can also be too high.
"If your vitamin
D level is below 50 or over 100 nanomol per litre, there is an greater
connection to deaths. We have looked at what caused the death of patients, and
when numbers are above 100, it appears that there is an increased risk of dying
from a stroke or a coronary. In other words, levels of vitamin D should not be
too low, but neither should they be too high. Levels should be somewhere in
between 50 and 100 nanomol per litre, and our study indicates that 70 is the
most preferable level," Peter Schwartz states.
That having too much
vitamin D in our blood can be bad for our health has never been proven before,
and it may have great influence on our future intake of nutritional
supplements.
"These are very
important results, because there is such great focus on eating vitamin D. We
should use this information to ask ourselves whether or not we should continue
to eat vitamins and nutritional supplements as if they were sweets. You
shouldn't simply up the dose to feel better. We should only consume such
vitamins in close coordination with our GP," Peter Schwartz concludes.
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