Two large studies, published in the [b]British Medical Journal[/b] and based on data from more than 1m people, show that people with low vitamin D levels are more likely to die from cancer and heart disease and to suffer from other illnesses, reports [s]The New York Times[/s]. The new research suggests strongly that blood levels of vitamin D are a good barometer of overall health. But it does not resolve the question of whether low levels are a cause of disease or simply an indicator of behaviours that contribute to poor health, like a sedentary lifestyle, smoking and a diet heavy in processed and unhealthy foods.
The studies included observational findings and reviewed evidence from randomised controlled trials – the gold standard in scientific research. Prof Oscar Franco, of [b]Erasmus Medical Centre[/b] in the Netherlands and his co-authors from Harvard, [b]Oxford[/b] and other universities, found persuasive evidence that vitamin D protects against major diseases. But they also said there was no 'highly convincing' evidence that vitamin D pills affected any of the outcomes they examined. And the second study by Dr Evropi Theodoratou of the [b]Centre for Population Health Sciences at the University of Edinburgh[/b] said: 'Based on what we found, we cannot recommend widespread supplementation.'
And in an editorial that accompanied the studies in the [s]British Medical Journal[/s], Drs Paul Welsh and Naveed Sattar, of the [b]British Heart Foundation's Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre[/b] pointed out that previous research 'extolled the virtues of antioxidant vitamins, only for major trials of vitamins E and C and beta carotene to show null, or even some harmful, effects of supplementation.' They said vitamin D pills should not be recommended widely until clinical trials that are underway shed more light on the benefits and potential side effects.
[link url=http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/low-vitamin-d-levels-linked-to-disease-in-two-big-studies/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&src=me&module=Ribbon&version=context®ion=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Most%20Emailed&pgtype=Blogs&_r=1]Full report in The New York Times [/link]
[link url=http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2035]BMJ full study[/link]
[link url=http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g1903]BMJ full study[/link]
[link url=http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2280]BMJ editorial[/link]