In recent months, heated debate has flared up around vitamin D.

Some studies have shown that high levels of vitamin D are good for our health, while other studies have not found strong evidence of the health benefits of this vitamin..

Scientists at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have now concluded that vitamin D deficiency can lead to early death.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps the absorption of calcium and phosphorus by bones, and is also necessary for cellular “communication” and strengthening the human immune system.

Researchers have long linked vitamin D deficiency to poor bone health. 3 years ago at the U.S. Institute of Medicine (US IOM) they concluded that vitamin D deficiency is dangerous due to weakened bones and a significant risk of fractures.

But the health problems associated with vitamin D deficiency do not end there.. Last year, Medical News Today reported a study by researchers at the University of Kentucky (USA).. Then scientists found that vitamin D deficiency could damage the brain. And more recently, scientists have found that low levels of vitamin D in the mother before the 26th week of pregnancy increases the risk of preeclampsia.

In a recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health, a team from UC-San Diego tried to figure out how vitamin D deficiency affects mortality.

Vitamin D deficiency doubles risk of premature death.

Scientists conducted a systematic review of 32 studies that examined the effects of vitamin D on mortality.. These studies covered 566,583 participants from 14 countries, including the United States.. The average age of the participants was 55 years.. All participants analyzed the level of the main metabolite - 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

The results showed that participants with a low level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the blood had a twice as high risk of premature death compared with those who had a normal or high level of this metabolite. The level that has been associated with an increased risk of premature death is 30 ng / ml.. Studies show that today 2/3 of Americans have indicators below this threshold.

According to the recommendations of the US National Institute of Health, children and adults aged 1 to 70 years should receive 600 IU (international units) of vitamin D every day, and older people over 70 years old should receive 400 IU.

Study co-author Heather Hofflich, professor of medicine at the UC-San Diego School of Medicine School of Medicine, said: “This study should give the medical community a clear message that vitamin D is safe, and even useful, when applied at doses up to 4,000 IU per day.

At the same time, she adds that patients should check their 25-hydroxyvitamin D level every year and consult with their doctor about further intake of dietary supplements with this vitamin.

Not all researchers are so optimistic about increased intake of vitamin D. At the beginning of this year, the authoritative medical publication BMJ talked about two scientific papers, the authors of which suggested that "

Another study, published in The Lancet Diabetes \u0026 Endocrinology in January, questioned the benefits of vitamin D after a systematic review of 40 randomized controlled trials.. The authors were unable to confirm the effectiveness of this vitamin for the prevention of myocardial infarction, stroke, cancer and bone fractures..

The author of this work, Dr. Mark Bolland of the University of Auckland (New Zealand) concluded: “Our main conclusion is that if you are otherwise healthy and active, then most likely you get enough sunlight to adequately produce your own vitamin.

medbe. ru.