AsianScientist (Oct. 17, 2018) – A research group in Thailand has found that vitamin D insufficiency is linked to higher mortality in older men, but not women. Their research is published in the journal Geriatrics & Gerontology International.
Vitamin D is important for regulating calcium uptake by the human body. A lack of vitamin D in adults mainly results in loss of bone density, otherwise known as osteoporosis. Doctors are able to measure vitamin D levels in a blood sample, making it an ideal indicator of health and mortality. However, previous studies on the association between blood levels of vitamin D and survival have come from high-income countries.
In the present study, a research group led by Dr. Wichai Aekplakorn of Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, sought to understand the link between vitamin D and survival in Thailand, which is considered a developing country. They analyzed the levels of vitamin D in the blood of 1,268 adults in Thailand. The median age of test subjects was 74 years, and the samples were collected during the Thai 4th National Health Examination Survey in 2008. The survey participants were monitored for seven years, with their health conditions recorded in a vital registry until 2015.
The researchers discovered that vitamin D insufficiency was associated with a 77 percent higher risk of dying among men, but there was no increased risk in women. Furthermore, diabetic men with vitamin D insufficiency were more prone to dying than their counterparts with normal blood vitamin D levels.
“Cardiovascular disease may be the link between vitamin D insufficiency and risk of death in diabetic older males,” said co-author Dr. Chalermsri Chalobol, of Mahidol University, in Bangkok.
However, this remains a hypothesis, and further studies will be needed to confirm the association between vitamin D levels, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The article can be found at: Srinonprasert et al. (2018) Vitamin D Insufficiency Predicts Mortality Among Older Men, but Not Women: a Nationwide Retrospective Cohort From Thailand.
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Source: Wiley; Photo: Pixabay.
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