A new study from the University of Surrey has found that having very low levels of vitamin D can increase the risk of being hospitalized with lung infections like bronchitis and pneumonia.
The study showed that people with a severe vitamin D deficiency (less than 15 nmol/L in the blood) were 33% more likely to end up in the hospital for these kinds of infections than those who had healthy levels of the vitamin (at least 75 nmol/L).
This was the biggest study of its kind, using health records from the NHS and data from the UK Biobank. Researchers from the University of Surrey worked with scientists from the University of Reading and the University of Oxford. They wanted to understand how vitamin D levels might be linked to serious lung infections.
Lung infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis are very common in middle-aged and older adults. For people between 50 and 74 years old, these infections are among the top 20 causes of death worldwide. For people 75 years and older, they are even more dangerous and are in the top 10 causes of death.
Vitamin D plays a very important role in the body. Most people know that it helps keep bones and muscles strong. But it also has antibacterial and antiviral properties, which means it can help the body fight off infections.
The lead author of the study, Abi Bournot from the University of Surrey, said that many people do not get enough vitamin D and don’t meet the UK government’s recommendation of 10 micrograms per day.
The researchers looked at health information from over 36,000 adults in the UK. They found that people with extremely low vitamin D levels were much more likely to be hospitalized for a respiratory infection. Even small increases in vitamin D levels made a difference. For every 10 nmol/L increase in vitamin D, the risk of being hospitalized went down by 4%.
Dr. Andrea Darling, one of the senior researchers, explained that these infections are a serious threat to global health. They don’t just make people feel sick — they can also lead to hospitalization, which puts extra pressure on hospitals and the healthcare system.
She said that increasing vitamin D levels through supplements or vitamin D-enriched foods could help prevent some of these hospitalizations in the future.
The study also pointed out that this issue may be more serious in winter, when people get less sunlight, which is the body’s main source of vitamin D. Older adults and people from ethnic minority communities in the UK are especially at risk of having low vitamin D levels.
In summary, this research adds strong evidence that keeping vitamin D levels in a healthy range may help protect against serious lung infections. While more research is needed to confirm these findings, getting enough vitamin D — especially during the colder months — could be a simple and effective way to stay healthy and reduce the risk of hospitalization.
If you care about lung health, please read studies about marijuana’s effects on lung health, and why some non-smokers get lung disease and some heavy smokers do not.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
The study is published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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