While many individuals take vitamin supplements as part of a holistic health and wellness regimen, researchers at New Zealands Waikato Hospital recently reported that having high blood serum levels of vitamin D has been linked to a lower risk of long term health impacts in people with less-than-optimal lung health.
And supporting that finding is a study appearing in the journal Respirology. The study is based on data collected from 112 people with respiratory health concerns.
Scientists noted that individuals with vitamin D deficiencies were almost 13 times more likely to experience negative health consequences, compared to people with adequate nutrient levels.
The studys authors said that 15 percent of patients with respiratory concerns had a vitamin D deficiency, which is defined as having fewer than 30 nanomoles of the compound per liter of blood. Likewise, researchers noted that the vitamin D-based effect did not appear to be affected by a persons age, gender or the state of respiratory function.
Many adults do not get enough sun exposure to account for the recommended daily dose of vitamin D, which is why so many Americans turn to dietary supplements to boost their nutrient levels.