This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Vitamin D deficiencies impaired immune function of older adults
Vitamin D deficiencies were associated with inflammation in older adults, according to data published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
“Our data suggest vitamin D may be involved in maintaining the health of the immune system as well as the skeletal system,” Mary Ward, PhD, of the University of Ulster in Coleraine, United Kingdom, said in a press release. “This study is the first to find a connection between vitamin D levels and inflammation in a large sample of older individuals.”
The observational study included 957 adults aged at least 60 years (481 men, 476 women) from Northern Ireland as part of the Trinity Ulster Department of Agriculture (TUDA) aging cohort study.
Serum cytokines interleukin-6, C-reactive protein (CRP) and the ratio of IL-6:IL-10 and CRP:IL-10 appeared significantly higher among patients with deficiencies (<25 nmol/L) of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D vs. those who demonstrated sufficient (>75 nmol/L) levels after adjustments (P<.05), according to data.
Patients with sufficient vitamin D levels tended to be older (P=.048) and leaner (P<.001) vs. those who had insufficient or deficient levels.
In addition, men displayed significantly higher waist-to-hip ratio compared with women (P<.001), whereas females had significantly lower 25-(OH)D concentrations (P<.05), the researchers wrote.
However, the concentrations of IL-10 appeared higher in men compared with women (P=.05).
They observed a seasonal variation in 25-(OH)D concentration, with the highest median concentration in the summertime, according to data.
The researchers also reported that vitamin D status was a significant predictor of the IL-6:IL-10 cytokine ratio and those patients categorized as deficient were more likely to have an IL-6:IL-10 ratio greater than 2:1 vs. those who demonstrated sufficient vitamin D levels.
“The results indicate immune function may be compromised in older individuals with vitamin D deficiency,” Ward said. “Ensuring older individuals have optimal vitamin D levels may be a way to boost immune function in this population, but this needs to be confirmed through additional studies.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Collapse