Severe vitamin D deficiency associated with increased risk of premature mortality

Severe vitamin D deficiency associated with increased risk of premature mortality

It's the vitamin we get from the sun, but despite its abundant availability, one in three Australian adults still suffers from mild, moderate or severe vitamin D deficiency.

Photo credit: University of South Australia

Now new research from the University of South Australia provides strong evidence that vitamin D deficiency is linked to premature death, prompting calls for people to follow guidelines for healthy vitamin D levels.

The study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, found that the more severe the vitamin D deficiency, the greater the risk of mortality.

Vitamin D is an important nutrient that helps maintain health and keeps our bones and muscles strong and healthy.

Lead author and UniSA PhD student Josh Sutherland says that while vitamin D has been linked to mortality, it has been difficult to establish causal effects.

While severe vitamin D deficiency is rarer in Australia than elsewhere in the world, it can still affect those who are medically vulnerable, the elderly and those who do not get enough vitamin D from healthy sun exposure and dietary sources.”

Josh Sutherland, lead author and PhD student, UniSA

“Our study provides strong evidence of the association between low vitamin D levels and mortality, and this is the first study of its kind to also consider respiratory disease-related mortality as an outcome.

“We used a new genetic method to examine and confirm the nonlinear relationships we saw in observational settings, and in doing so we were able to provide strong evidence for the association between low vitamin D status and premature death.

“Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to mortality, but because clinical trials often failed to recruit people with low vitamin D levels – or were prohibited from including participants with vitamin deficiency – it was difficult to establish causal relationships.”

The Mendelian randomization study evaluated 307,601 records from the UK Biobank. Low vitamin D levels were found to be less than <25 nmol/L, with the average concentration being 45.2 nmol/L. Over a 14-year period, researchers found that the risk of death decreased significantly with increased vitamin D concentrations, with the strongest effects seen in those with severe deficiency.

Professor Elina Hyppönen, lead researcher and director of UniSA's Australian Center for Precision Health, says more research is now needed to develop effective public health strategies that can help achieve national guidelines and reduce the risk of premature death associated with low vitamin D levels.

The take-home message here is simple – the key is prevention. It is not enough to think about vitamin D deficiency when you are already facing life-threatening situations where early action could make the difference. It is very important to continue public health efforts to ensure that vulnerable and elderly people maintain adequate vitamin D levels throughout the year.”

Professor Elina Hyppönen, Senior Investigator and Director of UniSA's Australian Center for Precision Health

Source:

University of South Australia

Reference:

Sutherland, JP, et al. (2022) Vitamin D deficiency increases mortality risk in the UK biobank. A nonlinear Mendelian randomization study. Annals of Internal Medicine. doi.org/10.7326/M21-3324.

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