High Vitamin D levels linked to early death

Copenhagen - A CopD study conducted by researchers in Copenhagen has confirmed the importance of vitamin D for good health, but revealed that high levels of vitamin D are linked to increased mortality rates.

Vitamin D sufficiency prevents rickets and helps the body to absorb calcium. Its properties are recognized as vital in healthy bone formation. Yet just as a vitamin D deficiency can prove hazardous to health, an over sufficiency has now been linked to early death. The CopD study, published by Extremelongevity, was carried out on almost 250,000 people in Copenhagen. It concluded a vitamin D level of 50 nmol/L was the ideal. People with the lowest levels of a vitamin D, that is 10 nmol/L and below, had the highest mortality rates recorded at 2.31 times greater than average, whilst those with the highest levels of more than 140 had a mortality rate of 1.43. The study concluded more studies are necessary to show a causal link, but stressed the importance of careful monitoring of actual vitamin D levels. Very few actual foods contain vitamin D which is derived from exposure to sunlight. Due to high levels of vitamin D deficiency many people resort to supplements. To prevent a resurgence of rickets milk is fortified with vitamin D to ensure children receive an adequate intake.