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Relationship of 25-hydroxyvitamin D with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in older community-dwelling adults

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 64, pages 203–209 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, poor muscle strength, falls, fractures and mortality. Although older adults are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency, the relationship of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality has not been well characterized in the elderly. We hypothesized that low serum 25(OH)D levels predicted mortality in older adults.

Subjects/Methods:

Serum 25(OH)D as well as all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality were examined in 1006 adults, aged ⩾65 years, who participated in the InCHIANTI (Invecchiare in Chianti, Aging in the Chianti Area) study, a population-based, prospective cohort study of aging in Tuscany, Italy. Serum 25(OH)D levels were measured at the time of enrollment in 1998–1999, and participants were followed up for mortality.

Results:

During 6.5 years of follow-up, 228 (22.7%) participants died, of whom 107 died due to cardiovascular diseases. Compared with participants in the highest quartile of serum 25(OH)D (>26.5 ng/ml) (to convert to nmol/l, multiply by 2.496), those in the lowest quartile (<10.5 ng/ml) had increased risk of all-cause mortality (Hazard Ratio (H.R.) 2.11, 95% Confidence Interval (95% C.I.): 1.22–3.64, P=0.007) and cardiovascular disease mortality (H.R. 2.64, 95% C.I.: 1.14–4.79, P=0.02), in multivariate Cox proportional hazards models that adjusted for age, sex, education, season, physical activity and other potential confounders.

Conclusions:

Older community-dwelling adults with low serum 25(OH)D levels are at higher risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Grant R01 AG027012, the Italian Ministry of Health (ICS110.1/RF97.71), NIA contracts 263 MD 9164, 263 MD 821336, N.1-AG-1-1, N.1-AG-1-2111, and N01-AG-5-0002, the Intramural Research Program of NIA, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    R D Semba & K Sun

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    D K Houston

  3. Azienda Sanitaria, Florence, Italy

    S Bandinelli

  4. Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy

    A Cherubini

  5. Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    A R Cappola

  6. Epidemiology and Demography Section, Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography, and Biometry, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MD, USA

    J M Guralnik

  7. Longitudinal Studies Section, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA

    L Ferrucci

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  1. R D Semba
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Correspondence to R D Semba.

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Semba, R., Houston, D., Bandinelli, S. et al. Relationship of 25-hydroxyvitamin D with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in older community-dwelling adults. Eur J Clin Nutr 64, 203–209 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2009.140

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