Low vitamin D associated with respiratory, digestive, and other deaths – Dec 2012

Vitamin d status and cause-specific mortality: a general population study.

PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e52423. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052423. Epub 2012 Dec 20.
Skaaby T, Husemoen LL, Pisinger C, Jørgensen T, Thuesen BH, Fenger M, Linneberg A.
Research Centre for Prevention and Health, Glostrup Hospital, Glostrup, Denmark.

BACKGROUND:
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality in observational studies. The specific causes of death underlying this association lack clarity. We investigated the association between vitamin D status and cause-specific mortality.

METHODS:
We included a total of 9,146 individuals from the two population-based studies, Monica10 and Inter99, conducted in 1993-94 and 1999-2001, respectively. Vitamin D status was assessed as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Information on causes of death was obtained from The Danish Register of Causes of Death until 31 December 2009. There were a total of 832 deaths (median follow-up 10.3 years).

RESULTS:
Multivariable Cox regression analyses with age as underlying time axis and vitamin D quartiles showed significant associations between vitamin D status and death caused by diseases of the respiratory system, the digestive system, and endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases with hazard ratios (HRs) 0.26 (p(trend) = 0.0042), 0.28 (p(trend) = 0.0040), and 0.21 (p(trend) = 0.035), respectively, for the fourth vitamin D quartile compared to the first.

We found non-significantly lower HRs for death caused by mental and behavioural diseases and diseases of the nervous system, but no association between vitamin D status and death caused by neoplasms or diseases of the circulatory system.

CONCLUSION:
The associations of vitamin D status and cause-specific mortality suggest that we also look elsewhere (than to cardiovascular disease and cancer) to explain the inverse association between vitamin D status and mortality.
PMID: 23285034
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Be aware: Long time (10.3 years) between vitamin D measurement and death

Disease	Decrease
respiratory system	74%
digestive system	72%
endocrine, nutritional and metabolic	79%

Also found lower % of death for diseases but not enough data to be statistically significant

• mental
• behavioural
• nervous system

See also Vitamin D Life

• Vitamin D and Cancer Mortality – review Jan 2013
• Low levels of vitamin D associated with all cause mortality – Oct 2012
• Heart Failure early death 2X more likely if less than 20 nanograms of vitamin D – June 2012
• Death rate 2X higher at age 60 if low vitamin D - 180,000 in Israel May 2012
• Death rate reduced 8 percent for 8 nanogram more vitamin D – meta-analysis Feb 2012
• 40 ng Vitamin D perhaps optimal for reduced mortality – Meta-analysis Jan 2012
• Dr. Grant on vitamin D and mortality in Vitamin D Life
• Should increase life expectancy by 2 years if double vitamin D levels – July 2011 Dr. Grant
• Mortality reduced 1 % for every nanogram increase in vitamin D – Feb 2012
• All items in Mortality and vitamin D 207 items