According to a report on the U.S. Health Day website, a new study has found that a deficiency of vitamin D in the body increases the risk of death by 26%!
The research team recruited 13,000 participants for the trial. During the follow-up period of nearly 8 and a half years, 777 subjects died from cardiovascular diseases, 400 of whom had a vitamin D deficiency.
Researcher Millander discovered that compared to those with the highest levels of vitamin D, those with the lowest levels had a 26% higher risk of death.
Michael Holick, director of the Bone Health Clinic at Boston University, believes that vitamin D deficiency is the most common public health problem worldwide. He stated, "If vitamin D levels are sufficient, the risk of heart disease can be reduced by 50%, the risk of peripheral vascular disease by 80%, and the risk of prostate, colon, breast, and all other cancers by 50%–70%". Furthermore, a lack of vitamin D also increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. He mentioned that if the intake of vitamin D can reach 800 international units, the risk of developing diabetes can be reduced by one third.
Researchers indicate that getting just 10-15 minutes of sun exposure per day is actually sufficient to obtain all the necessary vitamin D for the day.