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Vitamin D Levels Could Play Role in Heart Disease, Diabetes Risk

Vitamin D Levels Could Play Role in Heart Disease, Diabetes Risk

"High levels of vitamin D among middle-age and elderly populations are associated with a substantial decrease in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome," said Dr. Oscar Franco of the Health Sciences Research Institute in the United Kingdom.


Dr. Franco is a lead author of a systematic review and meta-analysis that looked at the association between blood levels of vitamin D and cardiometabolic disorders, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Twenty-eight studies giving data on 99,745 participants across a variety of ethnic groups including men and women were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis published in the journal Maturitas.

After analyzing the 28 studies researchers found that the highest blood levels of vitamin D were associated with a 33% reduction in the risk of developing CVD, a 55% reduction in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and a 51% reduction in the risk of developing metabolic syndrome, compared with the lowest blood levels of vitamin D.

"If the relationship proves to be causal, interventions targeting vitamin D deficiency in adult populations could potentially slow the current epidemics of cardiometabolic disorders," wrote the researchers.

By: Maturitas

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