title: An estimate of the global reduction in mortality rates through doubling vitamin D levels.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The goal of this work is to estimate the reduction in mortality rates for six geopolitical regions of the world under the assumption that serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels increase from 54 to 110 nmol/l.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is based on interpretation of the journal literature relating to the effects of solar ultraviolet-B (UVB) and vitamin D in reducing the risk of disease and estimates of the serum 25(OH)D level-disease risk relations for cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and respiratory infections. The vitamin D-sensitive diseases that account for more than half of global mortality rates are CVD, cancer, respiratory infections, respiratory diseases, tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus. Additional vitamin D-sensitive diseases and conditions that account for 2 to 3% of global mortality rates are Alzheimer's disease, falls, meningitis, Parkinson's disease, maternal sepsis, maternal hypertension (pre-eclampsia) and multiple sclerosis. Increasing serum 25(OH)D levels from 54 to 110 nmol/l would reduce the vitamin D-sensitive disease mortality rate by an estimated 20%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The reduction in all-cause mortality rates range from 7.6% for African females to 17.3% for European females. Reductions for males average 0.6% lower than for females. The estimated increase in life expectancy is 2 years for all six regions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increasing serum 25(OH)D levels is the most cost-effective way to reduce global mortality rates, as the cost of vitamin D is very low and there are few adverse effects from oral intake and/or frequent moderate UVB irradiance with sufficient body surface area exposed.
authors: Sunlight, Nutrition, and Health Research Center, San Francisco, CA 94164-1603, USA. wbgrant@infionline.net
authors: W B
authors: WB
authors: Grant
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D011247:Pregnancy; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors; D013472:Sunlight; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D014815:Vitamins; D014807:Vitamin D