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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- People with low levels of vitamin D may have a higher risk of death from all causes, according to a new report.
Low vitamin D levels may be associated with death through their effect on blood pressure, the bodys ability to respond to insulin, obesity and diabetes risk.
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According to a report based on information gathered by the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control, those who have less than the recommended 30 nanograms per milliliter of vitamin D in their blood are at a higher risk.
The survey found 41 percent of all U.S. men and 53 percent of women have levels below 28 nanograms per milliliter. Those in the group with the lowest levels, less than 17.8 nanograms per milliliter, had a 26 percent increased rate of death from any cause when compared with those who had the highest vitamin D levels.
Also, authors noted cardiovascular events are more common during the winter when vitamin D levels are lower, and cancer survival rates are better if the disease is diagnosed during the summer when levels are higher.
Further observational studies are needed to confirm these findings and establish the mechanisms underlying these observations, concluded researchers.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, August 11/25, 2008
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