A new study from the University of South Australia has found that low levels of vitamin D may lead to higher levels of inflammation in the body. This discovery helps scientists better understand the role of vitamin D in overall health and could be useful for identifying people at risk of chronic diseases linked to inflammation.
Inflammation is the body’s natural way of fighting infections and healing injuries. However, when it lasts too long, it can contribute to serious health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and autoimmune diseases. Chronic inflammation has been a major focus of health research because it plays a role in many conditions that affect millions of people worldwide.
In this study, researchers analyzed genetic data from nearly 295,000 people in the UK Biobank. They used a method called Mendelian randomization, which helps find cause-and-effect relationships between genes and health conditions.
The team looked at C-reactive protein (CRP), a substance produced by the liver in response to inflammation. When inflammation is high for a long time, CRP levels also stay high, making it a useful marker for detecting ongoing inflammation in the body.
The study found a clear link: people with low levels of vitamin D had higher levels of CRP, meaning they were more likely to experience chronic inflammation. Importantly, the researchers found that this was a one-way relationship—low vitamin D levels led to higher CRP levels, but not the other way around.
This suggests that boosting vitamin D levels in people who are deficient could help lower inflammation and reduce the risk of diseases associated with long-term inflammation.
The study also raises the possibility that maintaining healthy vitamin D levels may help prevent complications linked to obesity and lower the severity of conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders.
These findings provide new insight into why vitamin D is so important for health. They also help explain some of the conflicting results from past studies on vitamin D and inflammation.
While more research is needed to confirm these findings in different populations, the results suggest that ensuring people have enough vitamin D could be a simple and effective way to reduce inflammation and lower the risk of many chronic diseases.
The study, led by Dr. Ang Zhou and colleagues, was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
If you care about inflammation, please read studies about the big cause of inflammation in common bowel disease, and vitamin B may help fight COVID-19 and reduce inflammation.
For more health information, please see recent studies about new way to halt excessive inflammation, and results showing foods that could cause inflammation.
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