The results were so clear, the team now want to investigate the effects of taking vitamin D on boosting heart health. Over 70 per cent of nearly 1500 patients undergoing investigation for narrowing arteries had a vitamin D deficiency, and there was a 32 per cent higher occurrence of coronary artery disease in those patients with the lowest vitamin D levels. It may help improve heart healthĪ recent study – and the largest ever done on the subject – concluded that a vitamin D deficiency is linked to heart disease. In one particular trial, residents in a nursing home who received this healthy vitamin and calcium supplements suffered 72 per cent fewer falls than those taking a placebo. Numerous studies have found that taking supplements of this vitamin significantly improves muscle performance, in turn decreasing the number of injuries suffered from falls. Muscle weakness may be another side effect of low vitamin D levels, especially in the elderly.

If only we could get summer holidays on prescription… 3. Their study found those with chronic gum disease also had very low levels of vitamin D in the blood.Ī further study in Norway has also found a link between tooth loss and exposure to sunlight – only 11 per cent of those living in the south of the country lost teeth, compared with 65 per cent in the north. It can protect against gum diseaseįinnish researchers recently discovered that low vitamin D levels are linked to periodontitis, or gum disease. Some studies have found that the vitamin can also slow down bone loss, warding off osteoporosis and keeping you stronger for longer. While osteomalacia is caused by poor bone structures being built, osteoporosis is caused by bone breaking down.

But upping your vitamin D levels helps remineralise bone structures, making them stronger. Over time, this can contribute to osteomalacia – a condition where the bones become weak and more likely to fracture. Our bodies need vitamin D to extract calcium properly from the food we eat, but a vitamin D deficiency means we cannot absorb enough calcium.

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