Stephen B. Kritchevsky, PhD, professor of medicine and translational science at Wake Forest School of Medicine, identified a strong link between vitamin D deficiency and these two outcomes.
“We observed vitamin D insufficiency (defined as blood levels <20 ng/ml), in one third of our study participants. This was associated with nearly a 50 percent increase in the mortality rate in older adults,” Kritchevsky said. “Our findings suggest that low levels of vitamin D may be a substantial public health concern for our nation’s older adults.”
Although vitamin D is synthesised in the skin through sun exposure, and is also acquired via a few dietary sources, insufficient sun exposure and low intake of dietary sources of vitamin D have led to global widespread vitamin D deficiency, linked to an elevated risk of various cancers, mainly those of the digestive system and some types of leukemia.