Vitamin D Deficiency could Harm Immune System Response: Study

A recent study shows how insufficient vitamin D levels can hurt older individuals' immune systems.

As this supplement plays an essential role in the body's ability to properly absorb calcium and form strong, healthy bones, the skin also naturally produces vitamin D when it's exposed to varying amounts of sunlight. Many foods also offer small amounts of vitamin D, including vitamin D fortified milk. Unfortunately, statistics estimate that more than 1 billion people worldwide are estimated to suffer from vitamin D deficiencies due to limited sunlight exposure.

"Our data suggest vitamin D may be involved in maintaining the health of the immune system as well as the skeletal system," said one of the study's authors, Mary Ward, PhD, of the University of Ulster in Coleraine, U.K., via a press release. "This study is the first to find a connection between vitamin D levels and inflammation in a large sample of older individuals."

For this observational study, researchers examined 957 Irish adults who were at least 60 years old. They studied their vitamin D levels as well as various biomarkers of inflammation. The findings showed that people who had lower levels of vitamin D were linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and inflammatory conditions, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis.

"The results indicate immune function may be compromised in older individuals with vitamin D deficiency," Ward concluded, via the release. "Ensuring older individuals have optimal vitamin D levels may be a way to boost immune function in this population, but this needs to be confirmed through additional studies."

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More information regarding the study can be found via the study "Vitamin D Deficiency is Associated with Inflammation in Older Irish Adults."