Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Death, New Study Finds
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Vitamin D deficiency increases mortality risk and raising levels even slightly could decrease the risk, researchers examining data from the UK Biobank have found. They used a Mendelian randomization approach, which uses genetic variants as "proxy indicators" for external factors that affect vitamin D levels, such as sun exposure or dietary intake. It allows for analysis of the relationship between deficiency and outcomes including mortality, which can't be done in randomized clinical trials for ethical reasons.
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@giridhar Unlike other types of observational studies, we have overcome some of the methodological obstacles. What is special about this new study is we were able to look at people with very low vitamin D concentrations and what would happen if their concentrations were a little bit higher. Most randomized controlled trials don't show much of an effect. That's because most people have sufficient concentrations. Ethically you can't do a trial of people with very low levels without treating them