Vitamin D danger of our indoor lives

THOUSANDS of middle-aged people may be at higher risk of fractures, heart disease, cancer and diabetes because of a lack of vitamin D, research shows.

It found an average one in ten men and women aged 40 to 80 were deficient – probably because they were spending too much time indoors.

And the study by Cambridge University also found that adults with the highest levels of vitamin D were least likely to die.

The vitamin is thought to play a key role in several chemical reactions and has been shown to protect against cancers, heart disease, diabetes and boost fertility.

Researchers looked at 14,641 men and women aged 42 to 82 from 1997 to 2012. They found that 9 per cent of men and 13 per cent of women did not have enough vitamin D.

The greatest source of vitamin D comes from a reaction of sun on the skin but in the UK and other countries in the northern hemisphere, this can only be made by the summer sun.

It is also found in oily fish, such as salmon and mackerel, and milk.

Levels of vitamin D are measured in nanomoles. Ideal levels in the blood are somewhere between 50 and 90 nanomoles per litre, with less than 30 nanomoles per litre being considered deficient.

But the study found that for every 20 nanomoles per litre the vitamin D levels went up, the chances of dying reduced by 8 per cent.

Cambridge professor Kay-Tee Khaw said: ‘Our data suggest that a modest increase in vitamin D in the general population may minimise the number of people with very low levels of the vitamin and may have some benefits even for those whose levels are acceptable.’