With advances in science and technology, researchers have been finding new ways to identify and diagnose diseases earlier. Now, a new breakthrough research indicates that free, circulating vitamin D level in the bloodstream may be a good predictor of future health and disease risk in aging men.
The study was conducted by Dr Leen Antonio from University Hospitals Leuven (Belgium) and a team of European researchers. Their findings were presented at the 22nd European Congress of Endocrinology (e-ECE 2020) conference in early September.
As we know, vitamin D is important for maintaining healthy bones, as well as protecting against infections and diseases. Deficiency in vitamin D is a major health problem, with estimates suggesting that about 1 billion people have low levels of vitamin D in their blood. Vitamin D deficiency is common in Europe, especially in elderly people, and it has been associated with a higher risk for developing many aging-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoporosis.
There are several forms, or metabolites, of vitamin D in the body; but it is the total amount of these metabolites that is most often used to assess the vitamin D status of people. More than 99% of all vitamin D metabolites in our blood are bound to proteins; so only a very small fraction is free to be biologically active. Therefore, the free, active forms may be a better predictor of current and future health.
For the study, Dr Antonio and her research team used the data from the European male aging study, which they collected between 2003 and 2005 from 1,970 men aged 40-79 years. To investigate whether free metabolites of vitamin D can better forecast health concerns, the team compared levels of free and total vitamin D in the men’s bodies with their current health status, considering their age, body mass index (BMI) and lifestyle.
Their findings demonstrated that even though free as well as bound vitamin D metabolites were linked to a higher risk of death, only free 25-hydroxyvitamin D was predictive of future health problems and not free 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D.
“These data further confirm that vitamin D deficiency is associated with a negative impact on general health and can be predictive of a higher risk of death,” explained Dr Antonio.
While these findings are promising, at first glance, it is important to note that the study was observational in nature. The researchers could not determine the underlying mechanisms. Additionally, it was also not possible to gather specific information about the causes of death of the participants.
“Most studies focus on the association between total 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and age-related disease and mortality. As 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D is the active form of vitamin D in our body, it was possible it could have been a stronger predictor for disease and mortality. It has also been debated if the total or free vitamin D levels should be measured,” explained Dr Antonio.
“Our data now suggest that both total and free 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are the better measure of future health risk in men,” she concludes.
Dr Antonio and her colleagues are currently finalising the statistical analysis and are busy writing a research paper on their work. For future studies, they are interested in conducting investigative research into vitamin D levels and their relationship with poor health.
Is it ok in the present period of Covid for protection?!