Plasma vitamin D and mortality in older men: a community-based prospective cohort study.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Aug 18.
Plasma vitamin D and mortality in older men: a community-based prospective cohort study.
Michaëlsson K, Baron JA, Snellman G, Gedeborg R, Byberg L, Sundström J, Berglund L, Arnlöv J, Hellman P, Blomhoff R, Wolk A, Garmo H, Holmberg L, Melhus H.
Uppsala Clinical Research Center and the Section of Orthopedics, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
BACKGROUND: Vitamin D status is known to be important for bone health but may also affect the development of several chronic diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular diseases, which are 2 major causes of death.
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine how vitamin D status relates to overall and cause-specific mortality.
DESIGN: The Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men, a community-based cohort of elderly men (mean age at baseline: 71 y; n = 1194), was used to investigate the association between plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25(OH)D and mortality. Total plasma 25(OH)D was determined with HPLC atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry. Proportional hazards regression was used to compute hazard ratios (HRs).
RESULTS: During follow-up (median: 12.7 y), 584 (49%) participants died. There was a U-shaped association between vitamin D concentrations and total mortality. An approximately 50% higher total mortality rate was observed among men in the lowest 10% (<46 nmol/L) and the highest 5% (>98 nmol/L) of plasma 25(OH)D concentrations compared with intermediate concentrations.
Cancer mortality was also higher at low plasma concentrations (multivariable-adjusted HR: 2.20; 95% CI: 1.44, 3.38) and at high concentrations (HR: 2.64; 95% CI: 1.46, 4.78). For cardiovascular death, only low (HR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.21, 2.96) but not high (HR: 1.33; 95% CI: 0.69, 2.54) concentrations indicated higher risk.
CONCLUSIONS: Both high and low concentrations of plasma 25(OH)D are associated with elevated risks of overall and cancer mortality. Low concentrations are associated with cardiovascular mortality. PMID: 20720256